Her Lucky Break
by Aerivia
Summary: When Hermione takes a teaching job just after the end of the war she finds herself unravelling a mystery with an unlikely companion.
1. The Potions Problem

Alright, so a few things before I start, while this is mostly an EWE story there were a few things I changed in the past so it's slight AU as well.** The Malfoy's change in allegiance wasn't enough to keep them out of Azkaban. Blaise Zabini's parents were death eaters, though he didn't live with them, he's also bad at potions. Professor McGonagall now works closely with the ministry to avoid any more unfortunate events.** I can't say anymore about my other changes as they're to be figured out during the plot.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, Draco would've saved the day and Hermione would of fallen madly in love with him and they'd have 42 beautiful babies.

* * *

Her Lucky Break

The Potions Problem

Hermione Granger would have never thought she would be this happy. The war is over and there will never again be the threat looming over them as it had every year since she was included in the world of wizardry. Yet here she was at the Burrow, only a couple of months later with her best friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Even though none of them actually finished school, two of the three wizards got jobs already. Harry got his dream of being an auror and Ron was going designated as the keeper for a new quidditch team. Hermione was still waiting back on an owl from Hogwarts with its reply about if she could finish her schooling. She'd never dream on missing out her education and had sent an owl out to the new headmaster, or headmistress in this case, McGonagall just a week after things died down. She had yet to get a reply. She'd been offered a job by the Ministry of Magic but turned it down for the time being, never one to be satisfied with office work.

"Hey 'Mione, Harry wants to go meet my new team before the game. Would you like to come?" Ron asked her.

"No, thanks. I think I'll head over later with Ginny."

"Alright." he said placing a chaste kiss on his girlfriend's mouth.

They'd been riding solid on the dating train during the two months since the battle at Hogwarts. With him travelling all over the place they'd came to the solution that they'd write to each other every week, even when they were both in the same place. Ron was trying to keep this relationship going no matter what and that made Hermione happier than she could ever imagine.

She watched as they left for the stadium and turned around to find Ginny standing there.

"I'm jealous."

"What?" Hermione said in confusion. What did the young redhead have to be jealous of?

"Harry didn't try to find me or invite me. Ron just treats you so well. I know Harry is just excited over getting to meet Ron's new team since they've flown through the ranks and are quickly going to the top but still. I wish he'd find me and kiss me goodbye. I can't really blame him though... I'd probably run off just as fast and without a word if I hadn't already met the team on multiple occasions."

Hermione could hear her laughing tone but knew it still hurt Ginny slightly that he was so easily distracted by the sport.

"Well, at least he's devoted to you and not out there playing the sport and disappearing for weeks at a time. However this arrangement actually works for us since I'm hoping to go off to school with you when the year finally starts. I'm worried since I haven't gotten my letter yet though. Didn't they arrive by this time last year?"

Ginny laughed. "Don't worry Hermione. I still haven't gotten mine and I'm supposed to be attending without any special circumstances."

"I know, I just can't help it."

The two laughed again.

"Ugh, we better get going. Last time I was late to one of Ron's games he fussed about it for a week." So the two girlfriends left to go support their boys.

* * *

"That was amazing!" Harry exclaimed, his excitement bouncing off of the walls at an almost annoying rate.

He was right though. Ron's team had demolished the other's. Not one point had been scored on them and Ron's seeker had the game finished before you could say quidditch. They kept the game going fast enough that they don't tire; it was over too soon for that; and the golden snitch is caught for the other team to catch up. With this strategy they're guaranteed to win every match.

They had all just made it back to the Burrow when Molly Weasley rushed towards them holding a single letter in one hand and had a package under her other arm. Hermione noticed that the letter had the seal for Hogwarts on it and her heart fell a bit. That single letter was destined for the red-haired girl standing beside her.

"Oh Ginny, honey, here's your letter!" Molly exclaimed handing her only daughter the small envelope. "And Hermione dear, this package came for you."

Hermione took it but tore in with much less enthusiasm than her friend. The minute she got it open though a letter fell into her hands. Hermione stared at the small mark at the bottom of the page. It was from Hogwarts; but why the package? Couldn't a letter have been enough? Excitement coursed through her veins as she started to read aloud.

"We regret to inform you that there is no more spots for students wishing to return and redo their final year of Hogwarts." Ron shot her a sympathetic look but she didn't notice and just continued to read, her good mood disappearing.

"Instead, due to your success in previous years of schooling, we have contacted you in hopes that you would be willing to take up a teaching position at Hogwarts this year. We have been talking and have decided to bring back four students to fill the roles of missing teachers and you have been chosen as one of the select roles.

"You of course have the last say in if you'd like to attend and teach "Transfiguration" in the upcoming year. All of the required paperwork is included for you in the package as well as a list of supplies and the location of your rooms if you choose to join us. We would love to hear back from you as soon as possible. Headmaster McGonagall."

They sat in silence for a moment as everything set in.

"Is she serious? Hermione a teacher?" Ron exclaimed.

"It's not far-fetched. She had at one point dreamed of teaching others the wonder of magic. There was no doubt that McGonagall chose her specifically to be her successor to teach transfiguration. I think it's awesome!" Ginny chirped in.

"As do I." said Hermione.

"So you're going to take the job 'Mione?"

The young woman nodded, searching her bag for a pen.

She grabbed up her package and retired to her room. Tomorrow she'd need to go shopping and get everything to teach her bright new minds. Tonight she had tons of paperwork to fill out so she could send out and owl returning everything first thing in the morning. She was ecstatic. To be so honoured as to take up the new Headmaster's old place! It was like she was her prodigy. As she filled out the paperwork she thought carefully. Who were the other new teachers?

Luna perhaps? If Trelawney decided she needed a break Luna could probably take over for the year. Somehow she couldn't see it happening though.

What teachers aren't there? They'd need a potions teacher and a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher as well. Was that all besides her new job for teachers who she knew had left? So where would this fourth teacher go? Did somebody retire due to the stress?

Hermione couldn't guess who would be taking over.

"Oh well," she said to herself, "I'll find out soon enough."

With that the girl repacked all the finished paperwork, keeping out only a list of things she'd need, and went to sleep. After all, there was a lot to be done tomorrow. All of that dreadful shopping.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?" Ron asked yet again.

"It's alright. Hermione and I could use a girls day and shopping is just the girly activity to do." Ginny said putting her arm through Hermione's. "Besides, don't you have quidditch practice today?"

"I can miss one for my girlfriend. I mean, she's going to disappear for the next ten months!"

Hermione laughed, "Than write to me silly. I'll make sure to visit as often as I can and I'll watch every one of your games. Besides, you'll be travelling so much you'll barely notice I'm gone and before you know it we'll be spending the summer together."

"Fine."

Hermione hugged her boyfriend while Ginny and Harry were off in their own little world with just each other.

"Dude, don't snog her in front of me! She's my sister!"

They said goodbye once more and used the floo powder to Diagon Alley. Hermione could never get over the weird weightless feeling but at least she stopped stumbling after every usage.

"So, what do you still need to get Ginny?"

"Just my robe and a few more books. You however need everything! This must be so exciting for you. I would love to teach at Hogwarts!"

"Yeah, it is really cool. I only wish I could figure out who in the world my new coworkers are going to be. I mean, it's one thing to be working with teachers you already know... but there's three other ones who are former students."

"Do you even know what classes they'll be teaching?"

"Well, potions and DADA are both open, that I know, but unless a teacher retired or is on leave I can't think of what the last one will be teaching." Hermione said, still perplexed about it.

"Perhaps there will be a new class!" Ginny said excitedly.

"Maybe.."

"Hey, a robe store!"

They spent hours getting things for Hermione. She needed new robes, all the up to date books on transfiguration, as well as other books for complex spells that she was absent to learn the previous year. She needed things that she didn't as a student. Since she had her own living quarters she would need to buy her own decor. This shopping she did in the muggle world. Pillows for couches, throw blankets, new bedding, picture frames. She got everything she would've needed for the apartment she was planning on one day renting with Ron.

By the time the two girls had finally stopped shopping, stores were closing all around them.

"Tea back at the Burrow?"

"Tea back at the Burrow."

So with that the girls returned to home, all too happy to see a teapot already on and dinner ready for them. Stuffing their faces with more fervour than Ron the girls finished. Noticing a strange quietness the girls looked around.

"Mum, where's Ron and Harry gone?"

"Oh, they're just running a little late at practice." she said not worried in the slightest, it wasn't like it was an uncommon thing to happen. The team adored Harry and often asked him to practice with them and then they'd play a game by splitting the team in half as much as possible.

"So Hermione, when do you leave for your new job?"

"I'm not quite sure. I'm waiting on an owl with the details I guess. I might be leaving at the same time as you, I really have no idea." She replied sipping from her tea.

"Or maybe there's a luxury train for teachers! Or maybe you can apparate in! That would be so cool."

"Sheesh Gin, you seem more excited about this than Hermione herself!" her boyfriend grinned walking in and planting a kiss on her forehead before taking a seat beside her.

"Well, I'll get to see her everyday! That's something worth being happy about."

"And she'll be writing to me all the time!" Ron said.

Hermione and Harry laughed as the youngest Weasley siblings fought over who Hermione loved more. She decided she'd miss this. There is nothing like the feeling of love in this room at this moment. Everyone is just so happy and full of smiles. It is truly wonderful. It will be a long time before they all get to hang out like this; just having fun all together once again. Soon Harry would leave to go to work, Ron would be travelling across the world, and Ginny and her were returning to Hogwarts as a student and as a teacher.

Her eyes watered slightly and a huge grin spread across her face.

"I'll really miss this." she said with just a twinge of sadness.

"Don't worry 'Mione, it's not like any of us are going anywhere. We just wont be right beside each other." Harry comforted, "But you better write to me the most."

They stayed up late just laughing and talking until Hermione and Ginny almost passed out from their busy day. Practically crawling their way up to their rooms they crawled into bed. Hermione doesn't think she's ever slept so well.

* * *

Hermione woke up the minute the sun did. She had no idea why there was a permanent smile resting upon her lips. All morning long she just couldn't shake it off, not that she particularly wanted to. Today just felt... magical. Nothing else could describe it. The sun was shining, birds were singing, it was like a fairy tale. She really felt content.

Molly wasn't even awake yet so Hermione ventured down to the kitchen, happily sorting through the fridge to find all the things necessary for a large breakfast. Cooking was something she used to do with her mom all the time and now that she had moved in here until she got her own place she rarely had a chance to practice her skills. Today everyone would taste the best food they'd ever had!

Ginny and Molly were just stumbling into the kitchen when Hermione put the last platter down. Molly upon seeing the food turned around and yelled up the stairs for everyone to get their lazy asses out of bed and down to the kitchen where Hermione, "the very nice young lady", had made them food. That was all it took and the kitchen was just packed with people stuffing their faces and giving compliments to the chef just to watch her blush.

They were just starting to collect the dishes when an owl came through the window bearing a letter in response to Hermione's forms and questions.

"Oh, what's it say 'Mione?" Ron asked trying to read over her shoulder.

"Well, it says that they would like me there as soon as possible. As in, today if I could."

"What?! But school doesn't start for another week!"

"Well, I have to set up my classroom, learn the curriculum, and let's not forget decorate my new space. I also have to get acquainted with any new members who aren't students. Or talk to teachers I haven't talked to in a while. I do have a bit that I need to do."

"Bloody hell, Hermione. You've really thought this through, haven't you?"

"Well, everything except for how in the world I'm supposed to get there. She says I can apparate but I can't stand the feeling."

"Ron, why don't you tell her what I recently rebuilt after you and Harry's incident a few years back?"

"Oh yeah! Dad fixed the flying car! The three of us can drop you off on our way to my next game! Then we won't have to say goodbye for at least a few hours."

"Oh, Ron!" Hermione said throwing her arms around his neck. The ginger man blushed.

"Are you sure about this Mr Weasely?" asked Harry Potter, the ever so polite boy. "I mean, we did fly it into the womping willow.."

"So long as you don't do that again, I see no reason not. Besides, you guys are now legal wizards and are allowed to use magic. Just remember to avoid muggles. I really don't need to be hearing about that or I'll never let you use it again." he warned.

"Deal!" Ron said now free from Hermione's smothering hug.

"Oh! I have to pack!" Hermione said rushing from the table and sprinting up the stairs so fast that she was a blur.

"That girl really is something. Being excited to go back to school." Ron mumbled, "She's absolutely crazy!"

Upstairs Hermione was dashing around her room shoving everything she needed into the trunk. Everything she came here with and everything she bought just the day before were flung in haphazardly. After all, she just wanted to get going already. It's not like they'd be in her trunk for longer than it took for her to arrive at Hogwarts. She was getting her own living quarters, and she was going to be a teacher! It's like it was all finally setting in as she packed. She was really doing this.

For once she was happy that she turned down the job the ministry had offered her. Who needed office work when you could mold young minds?

Rushing back down the stairs trunk in tow she spotted her boyfriend and two best friends standing at the door waiting on her. She was ready.

The car ride had been anything but silent. Harry drove while Ron cried that he was going to miss her and if she missed writing to him for just one week he'd come to Hogwarts and drag her out so that she could never leave him again. Ginny was complaining about how much she wishes that she could come with her a week early but also about how she was going to miss her brother and her boyfriend. Harry just reassured everyone that they'd always be in contact.

When she got to the school her three closest people just didn't want to let her go. They hugged her until she couldn't breath and were waving from the car windows the whole time they spent flying away until they were just a speck in the sky.

Turning around she grabbed her trunk and started into her new/old home.

To her surprise she was greeted by Professor McGonagall the second she walked in. The woman muttered a charm and Hermione's trunk disappeared down a hall.

"Now come along, we were waiting on you and one other. He happens to be running late but I have a few guesses about why. Now, say hello to your fellow teachers Professor Granger."

Hermione was too busy studying the faces to notice her new title otherwise she probably would've blushed. As it was, she was scanning to see what teachers were there. Trelawney was there, as was Flitwick and Binns. She didn't see Professor Sprout but the minute she saw Neville she understood that he was the new herbology teacher. He did have a gift with plants after all. What surprised her most of all though was a Slytherin sitting in the far corner. She remembered him, Blaise Zabini. She remembered and article saying he had been cleared even though his parents were charged as he was living with an aunt and had no knowledge. This calmed her nerves a bit.

She didn't see Professor Slughorn anywhere. Perhaps Blaise was the new potions teacher? No, that didn't make sense. He wasn't very good at the subject when attending school here.

"Well, we won't wait any longer for our last guest. If you would please listen up I'll tell you who is new to our staff and then I'd like to see them after so they can create passwords for their new places of residence.

"In transfiguration we have Professor Granger. In herbology we have Professor Longbottom. In defence against the dark arts we have Professor Zabini," well, that made sense, "and in potions we have Professor-"

She was cut off as the door flung open. Hermione's eyes might as well of popped from her head. The man standing in the doorway had white blond hair and silver eyes that felt like they could pierce through your soul and take it away. The new potions teacher.

Standing in the doorway was Draco Malfoy.

"Sorry I'm late."

* * *

And there we have it! Chapter One is all done and I'm feeling pretty proud. Chapters will be updated every Friday! Feel free to review/favourite/follow! Things you like, things you don't, grammar/spelling errors as even though I proofread, some things do pass by.

~Aerivia


	2. This is a Joke, Right?

Disclaimer: I still wish I owned Harry Potter but sadly I do not, Only JK Rowling has that pleasure.

* * *

Her Lucky Break

This is a Joke, Right?

Hermione Granger felt like she was going to be sick with rage. This just wasn't fair. His family had helped to destroy the very thing Hogwarts stood for. Yet here he was, standing before them like none of that had even happened. A small hiss slipped through Hermione's teeth as he walked forward, moving in such in a way that it said he ran the place. His confidence and arrogance was flowing off of him in waves. The way he held himself screamed that he was to be worshipped. She turned back around to face Professor McGonagall, not wanting to waste any more time in the same room as the blond man.

The worst part for her was how utterly at ease he looked. The young witch had watched to see if the Malfoy name had popped up in any of the newspapers. There was only one article stating that the family had been located after the war. That was it. She had no idea what else had happened. It appears that they weren't charged though. The rich pure bloods probably bought their way out of Azkaban. She wouldn't put it past him.

Hermione had to fight against herself and her wish to punch his face much like she had done in their third year when he came to a stop beside her. Instead she just bunched up her hands and looked straight at McGonagall.

"Please, do continue Professor McGonagall." she encouraged in the nicest voice the young witch could muster.

Professor McGonagall stopped staring at the young wizard and continued, "The new potions professor is Mr. Malfoy. I ask that no fighting is to happen between the teachers as it was not a decision made lightly to have him teach here. Now, if everyone would please come up here to collect a package from the ministry and head back to their rooms to go over the new curriculum. I ask that the four 'eighth' years so to speak would stay behind for a moment."

Before they knew it the room was empty besides the four and Hermione still hadn't managed to calm down. Underneath her skin her blood was just boiling, her eyes livid, and her face flushed with anger. All of her happiness had vanished with his arrival and she was no longer excited to teach here if she had even a chance of needing to speak to him.

"Alright, so we need new heads of houses for three, Ravenclaw the only one that doesn't need a new one. Neville, I would appreciate it if you would be so kind for Hufflepuff as we have no teachers from that house. Hermione, you'll be taking over my duties as the head of Gryffindor. And Blaise if-"

"No can do Miss Headmistress. I'm not good with responsibility."

"I will." Hermione tried not to shudder as his voice rung clearly through the almost empty room.

"You will do no-"

"You know as well as I do what the result of that hearing was."

McGonagall pursed her lips. "Fine, but I will revoke your status as such if you make one mistake. I only promised to keep an eye on you because I was asked by a once very nice woman."

Draco scowled and muttered something under his breath that sounded vaguely familiar to "Once? Is." and Hermione pretended not to hear.

Besides, the young witch was now convinced that this was all some terrible nightmare. First, Draco Malfoy wasn't in prison. That itself was a joke as everyone knows that he was supposed to kill Dumbledore, he was clearly a conspirator. Secondly, He was selected as a teacher just months after the end of a war that he helped bring about. Are they seriously going to let him near the helpless and easily controlled minds of children? Third, he was just made into the head of Slytherin. You can't give a criminal that much power! It was outrageous. He could be rebuilding the army from the inside.

So Hermione stood there and pinched her arm, gaining some weird looks from the others in the room.

"It's a muggle habit." was her only explanation when she didn't magically wake up.

Realizing that the nightmare was indeed the real thing the young witch tried her best not to cry. Neville, who was on her other side was shaking and stealing glances at the blond man beside her. She didn't blame him, not one bit, but she was a Gryffindor, head of the house now to be exact, and there was no way she would show her fear of the man. He wasn't worth it.

"Alright, so I assume you all know where to find your living quarters? If so I just need to know your password of choice and you're free to go. Your bags should all be there."

One by one each student went up to McGonagall and whispered their password of choice in her ear. Hermione had chosen one that was extremely simple but nobody would guess. It was Crookshanks after her cat which Ginny had promised to bring when she came. The stubborn cat had showed up the minute the Golden Trio had come back to the burrow.

Hermione was still livid with the wizard in the room after she left. She started to go to her rooms but paused. Instead the young woman hid in the corridor, planning to wait for Malfoy to make an appearance. Instead of him coming out after her, McGonagall was next to leave. Since it left only the male in question in the room she stormed back to the door and taking a deep breath opened it to find him sitting at a desk in the front row, just staring blankly ahead.

Her pure anger and hatred for him coursing through her veins allowed her to march right up to him and slap him across his left cheek, making him jump out of his seat holding his face which had a bewildered expression marring his features.

"What the bloody hell was that for, Granger?" he asked exasperated.

"You know damn well what it was for, _Malfoy_." the venom on his name made even her flinch internally. "What do you think you're doing back here?"

"That is none of your business."

"Oh no? After my boyfriend's brother got killed by your friends I'm pretty sure it's my business. I don't want to be within a mile of a bloody killer like you. You're just like your father."

Hermione watched him carefully, his stormy grey eyes snapped when she said her last line.

"You know nothing, Granger. And it will stay that way. Don't you dare make that assumption in my presence again, are we clear?"

Before waiting for her answer, the newly appointed potions professor stormed off, leaving Hermione Granger feeling much lighter after her outburst as well as slightly confused.

* * *

The week leading up to the arrival of the students was much the same each passing day. She unpacked and found a new place to put everything away nice and neat. She studied the curriculum and made up lesson plans for each of her classes. She never left her room though. Hermione wanted nothing more than to avoid _Professor_ Malfoy at all costs. She didn't feel any guilt for letting her anger out on him, not on ounce. However, she just knew that it pissed him off. If she had been slapped and had her past crimes brought up she'd be angered to the point of murder.

Hermione laughed at her own thought. How ironic. The murderer being angered to the point of more death. She shook her head. Today she would have to sit at the head table with him and the others. She was fine with Neville and okay with Blaise but otherwise could do without.

She had written letters to Harry and Ron. She left out the Malfoy part in her letter to Ron lest he comes to beat him up and kidnap her. She did tell Harry however, hoping he'd be reasonable. Luck wouldn't have it though and he had told her to quit and run as fast as she could while she still had a chance. He couldn't even get access to his file so they could find out why he was here. Even though she never left her room she knew it wouldn't be hard to avoid Malfoy and decided that this was her dream job and he wasn't going to ruin this for her. So here she was, getting ready for the first night since she came here that she'd see not only Ginny but the man she had hated for seven years.

Of course she'd have to talk Ginny into letting herself explain to Ron who the new potions teacher was as the young red-haired woman would not stay quiet about that.

Putting on her new black robes and carefully brushing her hair so it was smooth and not as much of a bushy mess as it had been when she attended school here is all she really did for preparation of the dinner. Nobody would notice her except when she was introduced as a new faculty member so why bother getting all fancied up? She had changed a lot since her last year as a student. Her hair became sleeker and more manageable even on its bad days. Her body had filled out and lost any awkwardness it held of the teenager she was just a year ago. Any fanciness was unnecessary. She could count the first day back as a holiday and use it as an excuse to look horrible but she was far too exhausted from her week of planning. She had already made up seating arrangements based off of last names and would allow her students to switch after a week. She'd need some time to learn their names!

Sighing the young witch left her rooms to join the rest of her fellow teachers at the head table. She found her seat easily, overjoyed by the fact that it wasn't beside Malfoy's. At least Blaise was in between them and he seemed mellow enough. All four of the new teachers sat beside each other and Hermione was happy that at least with Neville she'd have somebody to talk to.

Which is what she did when he arrived. They chatted about their break and what the other had been up to. Neville had been surprised that Ron could manage to keep a girlfriend and honestly happy for Harry's success on becoming and auror. It turns out that Neville had also been offered a job at the ministry but turned it down when he was asked to be a professor and for herbology no less. He had gardened ever since he left! He even tried to plant a few muggle flowers but those died quickly.

For the first time since coming here this year Hermione had a huge grin on her face. When the older students started to enter the great hall lots stared. Who wouldn't upon seeing former house members and heroes or enemies oif the war sitting up at the head table? It was just an odd sight. Ginny waved excitedly at Hermione when she first came in but as her eyes travelled down the table she froze and a grimace took over her friend's face. Hermione didn't even have to follow her gaze to know exactly who she was looking at. Ginny looked back at Hermione and gave her a sympathetic smile. Of course she would know that it wasn't to her preference either.

She still felt sorry for the younger girl though. At least she didn't have to go to potions class like Ginny did. Instead she got to hide in the safety of her own room surrounded by a wall of students. Hermione looked away and suddenly felt very uncomfortable in her seat. Everyone recognized at least one of the former students sitting at the table and they were openly gawking at them. She couldn't believe that she was going to teach some of her old friends from the younger years! Imagine handing out detentions...

She shook her head to clear her thoughts as the crowd of older students finished taking their seats. Only thirty-two seconds had passed before the first years entered the room and gathered at the base of the head table in a giant huddle, many staring up at the ceiling in awe. She suppressed a small laugh as she remembered how enchanting it looked to her on her first day too, a muggle born who thought magic was only in fairy tales until she got her letter.

She watched and listened carefully as all the first years got sorted into their houses. This year there were more Hufflepuffs than anything else. Gryffindor and Slytherin didn't get many people at all and Ravenclaw wasn't that much better. Hermione couldn't lie though. She thought it was awesome that so may kindhearted and open-minded young minds were here this year. It should help make the bounce back from last year a bit easier. After they sat down with their new families, Headmistress McGonagall stood up to give her speech as was tradition welcoming all the new faces.

"I see that this year we have less new faces joining us than usual but it's wonderful to see so many of you here. To be completely honest I was expecting less. I hope that everyone, both new and old, find that the castle and it's administration are both up to par. As many of the older students have probably noticed, we have some older students who have returned here as teachers.

"We have Neville Longbottom with Herbology. He is the head of the Hufflepuff house!"

Lots of people cheered from all the houses. Even the less than half full Slytherin table had clapped for him.

"Professor Blaise Zambini will guide you in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Hermione Granger is taking over for Transfiguration and as head of Gryffindor." the cheering from said table was loud, particularly from a ginger girl. "And Professor Malfoy will be teaching Potions as head of Slytherin."

People clapped but it was a nervous slow sound, like they weren't quite sure how to react. Should the accept their fate or should they run away? Honestly the same question was still running through Hermione's mind after a week despite her vow to not give in. She didn't trust him, that was for sure. He would probably turn on anyone in a heart beat if it meant having a bargaining piece. "Release my father and clear our names!" sounded like just the thing he would demand as he held some little girl hostage.

She still couldn't wrap her head around how in the world he got McGonagall to let him teach here.

* * *

"How the bloody hell could they allow that insufferable prat teach here? Hermione, can't you do something? There's no way having him here is safe. He's dangerous, dangerous I tell you! I don't want to wake up and find myself looking down at my body because I'm dead! I'll be stuck haunting the bathrooms with Myrtle!"

Hermione had found her friend a little over ten minutes ago and all the fiery girl could do was rattle on and on about Malfoy.

"I can't do anything. Even Headmistress McGonagall can't do anything. She's keeping an eye on him or something like that as a favour to a woman. That's all I know. However, on my first day I did deliver on hell of a slap to his face."

"Please tell me you got a picture?"

"... I'm sorry."

Ginny groaned. "This year is going to be just wonderful, isn't it?"

Hermione laughed, "Oh don't we both know it. I don't know though. I imagine that if we just ignore him as a person and see him in strictly a professional view we might not have anything to worry about. I think the only advice I can offer you is to not draw attention to yourself in his class. If I could teach you potions instead I would."

"I know. I just wish that they hadn't gotten rid of Slughorn. He wasn't even a bad teacher. We at least learnt something without fearing for our lives as I imagine we'll be doing in Professor Malfoy's room. Hell, I'd go as far to say that he's going to be worse for us than Snape was! I can't believe I might actually miss him. I mean, he was a good guy in the end."

The girls sat in silence, neither comfortable or uncomfortable. It teetered on the edge between the two.

"Have you told the boys yet?"

"I told Harry. I'm afraid Ron will go crazy and try to save me."

"As he should! Leaving you here with that horrible excuse for a man!" Ginny seethed.

"Just, promise not to tell him, okay? I plan on telling him in a letter soon, I just don't want to be rescued. I'm not giving up what I want because of Malfoy. It's not fair to me in the slightest."

"Fine, but if you haven't told him in a week my letter home will be sure to detail who exactly my new potions teacher is. Besides, you guys are dating now, you have to be open with each other."

"I know. Now you better get back to the dormitories before curfew. You don't want to get stuck with a detention. I'll see you tomorrow in class."

Ginny snorted, "You wouldn't give me a detention but fine. I'll go, and I promise to try to not be late for class tomorrow, _Professor_."

Hermione turned to walk away. She wasn't sure if she could actually get used to being called "professor" as it is just too formal. She continued back to her rooms where Crookshanks was already making himself at home and sleeping on the centre of Hermione's couch. She sat down at the desk in the far corner of the room. One either side were bookshelves already on their way to being packed full. Grabbing an ink well, feather, and a piece of parachment she followed Ginny's advice and wrote down everything she hadn't included.

She wrote about the small interaction and how he's here on a favour. Told him of how he'd become head of Slytherin. She even mentioned about how she found him and slapped him before they started to yell at each other. She told Ron everything and then made him promise that he wasn't going to try to play the prince to rescue her. Folding it up and sticking it into an envelope that she sealed shut. Sighing she grabbed Crookshanks and turned off the lights deciding to retire for the night.

After all, tomorrow was her first day of classes.

* * *

Wow, over 100 visitors already. That actually made my day, you're all amazing! Can we get some thoughts on angry Granger? No? Okay. Just keep reading and I'll be happy since people are actually looking at my work!

Aerivia~


	3. How Do Teacher's Survive?

**Alright, so I got 100 views last week by the time I posted the new chapter. In one night, I passed 300 and I felt so happy I couldn't even explain it. Since this is kind of filler, kind of important I decided to reward my wonderful readers with a chapter 6 days early.**

**Disclaimer: I only have $13 and some English homework. If I owned Harry Potter I'd be filthy rich and not attending my current school.**

* * *

Her Lucky Break

How Do Teacher's Survive?

In the morning Hermione stretches and notices the faint smell of maple syrup and bacon in the other room. Walking out she just catches a glimpse of a house elf dropping off a big plate of breakfast for her. Was this an everyday occurrence? If so, these teachers had the right idea! She gobbled back the delicious breakfast before brushing her teeth. She dressed in the same way she had yesterday but today she tied her hair out her face. She saved packing her bag for last with all the seating plans and her perfectly planned lessons.

Leaving enough food and water for Crookshanks and she was out the portrait. Today was her big day! Today she would meet some of her classes. Out of the eight classes this semester she'd have five today and three tomorrow. Hermione had personally never minded the long day of classes when she was a student. There were so many days when they really only felt like they were a few hours long. Surrounded by all this magic time just seemed to fly.

The corridors were empty except for a few early risers as they went to the great hall for breakfast or for the younger students, exploring the school so they wouldn't get lost on their first day. She was actually quite excited that her first class was going to be first years. She was going to have as much of a learning experience as the youngest students in the school.

She was slightly surprised as she realized that Professor McGonagall had left all of her reference books behind for her to use. Over half of the ones on the shelves she couldn't find down in Diagon Alley and was thrilled to know that they could hold even more new information.

Grabbing out her seating plan and little cards with her first classes names on it she rearranged the room to fit her needs and placed a name tag on each desk. She had just finished when she heard a laugh at the door.

"What in the world do you think you're doing Hermione?"

"Exactly what it looks like. I need to learn their names somehow. I'll let them change once I have it under control."

"Please tell me that you aren't going to do this for my class, will you?" Ginny asked.

"No, I should know must of the other students names. I was a prefect, I caught so many students out after curfew or somewhere they don't belong more times than I can count. I'm sure I won't need them. I'll be surprised if I don't know a student."

The girls both laughed.

"So what do you have today?" Hermione asked.

"Guess."

"Oh no... you don't have potions?"

"Nope. Not until tomorrow. Instead I have DADA with Blaise. It's odd knowing that he was actually perfectly innocent even if his parents weren't."

"I know, it makes me wonder what he thinks of them. Did they have it coming? Does he think it was unjust and misses them?" Hermione knew that she wasn't just talking about Blaise anymore. Not even Malfoy. No, she was being sympathetic to all the Slytherins still here who were marked as innocent or didn't have enough involvement to be charged. Almost all of them had family in Azkaban, whether it be grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings.

"Well, I better be off. If one of your habits rubbed off it was that I shouldn't be late, especially on the first day."

The girls laughed again and said goodbye and Hermione went to sit at her desk as students started to trickle in. The muggle kids understood immediately what was going on and started searching for their names, calling over their neighbours if they recognized them. Hermione just wore a big smile, excited to be teaching her first class. She wondered if the other new teachers were having just as much fun as she was.

The last kid was a hufflepuff, barely making it into the door before the bell rang signalling the start of class.

Making her way up to the start of the room, Hermione decided to be completely honest with her class.

"Alright, so we're going to play twenty questions. You pretty much have to ask me a question and I'll answer it. It's a good way for me to introduce myself. So just raise your hand and I'll answer just about anything."

A small girl in the back by the name of Becca raised a hand. "You're a former student here, what house did you belong to?"

"I belonged to Gryffindor, that's why I was made head of the house. I was also a prefect when I was older."

"Did you know Harry Potter?"

Hermione let out a laugh, "Did I know him? Of course! Him, Ron, and I got into quite a bit of trouble since we were always in the centre of whatever problem was going on. We were called 'the golden trio' by people."

Half the class was staring at her in awe as the rest just appeared to be uninterested. Then again, she couldn't please everyone. Hermione found out that the students were more interested in learning about Harry and all the fun adventures that they had done instead of about her. She was okay with this though. After all, the three of them were inseparable and almost none of her memories didn't include them. She was more surprised that they hadn't recognized her. She was put into the news more than Ron, even if they were all for smaller articles in magazines or to fill a column in a newspaper.

"What is Draco Malfoy doing teaching here?" A Ravenclaw asked.

Hermione studied the boy carefully while thinking of what to say. A shadow crossed her features as she thought of all the evil things the wizard could be doing but she couldn't tell those things to her students. She also couldn't say anything to make them scared of him otherwise there would be trouble and that was the last thing she needed.

"I don't know." she said at last. "Is there anymore questions?"

"I have one." a Slytherin boy. "Why are we in this ridiculous seating plan?"

Hermione felt a slight angry blush on her cheeks, she'd worked hard on that plan. "It's so I can learn your names faster than if you chose where you sat. After I do, you can sit wherever you want."

With that she started to write a note on the board. Most students copied it down without a word but the students from Slytherin mumbled under their breath as they wrote it down; often they threw notes at each other and the receiving student would muffle a laugh. Hermione let this all slide. She really didn't want to make a bad impression on the students. At least, not on the first day.

Hermione listened intently to the chit-chat the few snakes were making in the back corner, completely ignoring her seating plan. The boy who had asked her about said plan was telling his friends about how she was a filthy mudblood and a murderer.

The young professor was filled with rage at the boy's careless and down right rude remarks. She marched right over to his desk and pulled out her wand on him, the same move she had made in her third year against another snake. It registered in her mind that this was probably the last thing she should have done but old habits were hard to get rid of. Besides, she didn't actually break any school rules if she didn't use magic on him, right? Or was even threatening to discipline without the intent to carry it out against the rules as well?

She let the thoughts pass through and with gritted teeth managed to ask if there was a problem with following along with the lesson.

The boy shook his head quickly before copying down the notes at a rather quick pace, his friends following his lead. Hermione put her wand down, upset with herself that she would pull such dramatic measure against a student. A first year at that! It wasn't right and if he said something she could get into some very serious trouble.

Deciding that the scare was punishment enough and not wanting to show that she had eavesdropped and heard the whole thing, returned to her desk.

Besides, a couple bad students in one class wasn't going to hurt, right?

She was wrong.

It wasn't just a couple of bad students. It wasn't just one class. Every class she had today was crazy. They were talking and laughing and acting overall like she just wasn't there. The absolute worst was from the Slytherins. A couple of times she was pointed at and laughed at when her "oh so precious" students had thought she wasn't looking. It hurt like hell but it was still only the first day. A lot of them were probably just socializing since they didn't see each other all summer or maybe it was because she knew and got some of them in trouble in earlier years.

Either way she hoped that Neville wasn't being tormented like this. It just wasn't fair to be treated like this. Did the other teachers have to deal with this? She never remembered having a class that was this rowdy. Maybe if they were all having fun doing an activity there would be happy chit-chat and laughter as they worked.

She sure didn't remember making jokes about the teacher though. Except for maybe Umbridge... but that was more insulting than joking. By the time her last class of the day had ended she was completely and utterly exhausted. The only thing that made her raise her head off of her desk was the thought of the delicious food in the great hall.

* * *

Hermione had spent forever attempting to make herself seem less dishevelled but nothing was working. One look at her eyes told you just how much she tired from her first day. She may as well of not slept at all last night!

Trudging from her room she made her way down to the great hall. The tables were mostly empty when she arrived but surely enough they were filled by the time the food was brought in. She sat tense through all of dinner, still upset over the way her students had treated her. Neville had tried to talk to her but Hermione's short and curt answers told him that she wasn't in the mood and eventually left her alone. Even the two Slytherins on her right had glanced over at her and wondered why she was in such a sour mood.

Hermione just stared at her food, mostly pushing it around instead of eating.

Even though she wasn't hungry she was one of the last to leave. She knew that the reason to her problem was simple. It wasn't the way her classes were rowdy but why was she treated in such a rude manner. She didn't recall doing anything in particular to upset any of the students. For that first year Slytherin boy, this was the first time she'd ever said a word to him and he had acted in a rude way. It reminded her of a certain blond-haired boy who would relentlessly call her a name over something that she had absolutely no control over.

Yet, this Slytherin boy should have known next to nothing about her. The press was too busy with the boy who lived, the one who killed you know who. She rarely saw any interviews she had done make it into the big time news but the odd time that it did happen, almost always it was the questions she was asked about Harry. She didn't mind the lack of attention, not really at least. She was very used to, and comfortable with, fading into the background.

An even more troubling thought on her mind was how much trouble would she be in when the incident in her first class was brought to Professor McGonagall's attention. Would she be fired after only her first day teaching? It certainly wasn't helping make the after war students peaceful or anything. No, she probably made that particular Slytherin boy even worse.

Deciding that Professor McGonagall would find her if the need arised – which she was almost certain it would in due time – she headed back to her rooms, knowing a good night's sleep would help calm down her nerves.

It wasn't until she stepped through the portrait that she remembered her promise to Ron. She had left her letter here this morning planning to stop by the owlery and send it after classes but before dinner. Grabbing a second piece of parchment she jotted down today's activities including the dangerous stunt she pulled and the frightened boys' reactions.

She wrote down all of her feelings and regrets and told him all about how much she missed him. She told him that the minute there was a trip into Hogsmeade she was going and he'd better be there to have a butterbeer with her or she'd have to track him down and steal his broomstick.

Tearing open the other envelope she stuck both letters into a new one and carefully printed all the information onto the front of it. Grabbing the letter she dashed out of her rooms hoping to get to the owlery before it was closed for the night. She really didn't feel like breaking in and breaking another rule today.

She got there shortly before the doors were meant to close and only let the people still inside out. Clutching the letter to Ron in her hand as if it were her lifeline she had to take a minute to decide if this was best. She knew that he needed to know about everything, there was no point at all in keeping secrets when they were in a relationship. She took her time carefully attaching the two small letters to the owl. Only after making sure that the owl knew exactly where he needed to go did she turn around to leave.

Only to notice that she wasn't alone in the room.

He hadn't appeared to notice her, he was just softly stroking the feathers of a rather regal looking bird as he wrote a letter occasionally glancing out into the night. Hermione looked him over to see that he was wearing all black and she knew that if the moon hadn't been reflecting off of his hair and making it into a silver beacon she would've never discovered his presence. She almost wished the moon hadn't risen that night, at least not visibly,as she tried to make her leave quietly.

Lady luck just wouldn't have any of that today and Hermione had to resist the urge to scream when an owl tried to grab her attention. This unfortunately made the head of Slytherin look over at her, albeit very briefly. He immediately turned back down to his letter, continuing to write. Hermione was about to leave when he spoke.

"I heard you pulled a wand on one of my students today, Granger." his voice cut effortlessly through the silence in the air.

"Am I to assume that he left out what had provoked such a violent reaction, Malfoy?"

"Oh no, I have a few ideas of what might of happened but I doubt it was his lack of focus on the lesson as he so claimed. Do you care to enlighten me?"

Hermione was angry again. No, she was past that point. She was furious. Why was he confronting her about this? And how was he so nonchalant about an issue that should have no concern to him? Even his voice betrayed that he was indescribably bored by this conversation and yet he continued it anyway. What was his point?

"No, I do not care to _enlighten_ you." she said with a finality. "It does not concern you and I would just like to leave."

"Oh, but you won't, now will you?"

Hermione resumed walking to the door, ignoring the pale man who shone with moonlight.

"I could tell Professor McGonagall."

She shot her head around so fast she was surprised at the lack of whiplash. Draco only stood there nonchalantly as he kept writing his letter. The only proof that they were even having this conversation was his glance up and smirk at her obvious bewilderment. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, but I would, and you and I both know I will unless get what I want. Which is answers. Besides, I always loved watching a member of the golden trio get in trouble."

Hermione tried her best to keep her face composed at was going to say a witty reply but then remembered her earlier fear. Malfoy was being generous by not outright telling Professor McGonagall but she could always turn herself in and hope that the punishment was less severe for honesty. She was never one to trust a snake but it didn't seem like she had much of a choice. It was only her first day and already she was getting herself into trouble.

"He called me a mudblood and a... a murderer." she said with a sigh of defeat.

Malfoy broke into a chuckle, the sound loud in the almost empty cavern. "Are you serious? Is that all?"

She looked at him incredulously. "Is that _all_?"

"Well, I seem to recall you yelling one of those very words in my face just over a week ago. I don't even remember flinching."

"You're a sick man, Malfoy. That's why. You're a cold-hearted, insufferable prat and have no right to be here. You _are_ a murderer, yet you somehow managed to escape punishment."

Hermione fled from the room, embarrassment written across her tired features. She should have just turned herself in. Besides, after her remarkable rude outburst she's be surprised if he kept to his end of the promise and didn't say anything about her incident with the first year student. She would ignore Malfoy at all costs from now on and refuse to have any semblance of a conversation with him ever again.

As she crawled into bed that night, she just knew that she would break that resolve. The only question was how long it would take until he infuriated her to that point.

* * *

**As always, don't forget to review/favourite/follow since those make me even happier and want to update for you guys. Chapter 4 will be up Friday, possibly sooner if I think you guys are amazing again.**

**~Aerivia**


	4. Detention Duty and Guilt

Disclaimer: All I own is a cold that put me in a sour mood and even that will go away eventually.

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Her Lucky Break

Detention Duty and Guilt

Hermione woke up late, still feeling exhausted as she rushed through her morning routine. Her hair was quickly brushed but left down in all of its bushy and frizzy mess. Her robes were pulled quickly into place and her bag was grabbed. Knowing she would be too late to sit down and eat her breakfast she grabbed her muffin and ran out of the room. Eating as she crossed the school to her classroom didn't give her a problem as she had done it many times as she woke up with her head in a book.

She got into the classroom with about thirty seconds to spare. Her class stared at her as she entered the room all flustered. Ginny stared at her curiously, wondering what had gotten into the young teacher. To Professor Granger being late and missing out on even the slightest amount of information was a crime punishable by death. So of course, it didn't surprise the young redhead when Hermione jumped right into her lesson without a second to spare.

Once the class had begun their lesson on the basic rules of transfiguration Hermione sat down at her desk, her head resting in her hands. Her eyes glanced around her class seeing everyone hard at work, a much better improvement compared to the previous day. Letting her eyes fall from the seventh years she noticed a letter addressed to her on the corner of her desk.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I miss you so much and I really wish you didn't need to go away. Quidditch is fun but I think playing your knight in shining armour would be even better._

_Are you sure you don't want me to come and hurt him? Even just a bit? And why the bloody hell is he not in Azkaban rotting away for the next thousand years?! As far as I know from Harry, all the Malfoys who went to Azkaban have yet to be released. So either he got out or never went in, at least, that's what Harry thinks._

_Do me a favour and keep and eye on Ginny, will you?_

_I love you, take care, and don't let the Malfoy bite!_

_Ron_

Hermione's eyes filled with laughter as she carefully read and reread the letter. Ron, her wonderful knight, willing to do anything to protect two of the most precious women in his life. She blushed slightly at the thought and looked at her class once more. They were still working away at the assignment, the early finishers reading or working on homework for another class.

She sighed, some of these kids reminded her so much of how she was when she finished her work. They'd just continue on to the next thing to be done. Of course she doubted many of them were as well planned as she, using a priority system and everything.

Her classes flew by, all exceptionally well-behaved. Even the Slytherin kids hadn't bothered to act immature. It surprised her to say the least. What had sparked such a difference in kids who were probably friends with some of the other ones? It made absolutely no sense as to why they behaved so much different then her classes the first day. Hermione couldn't think of one thing that would have caused this change in attitude unless the rumour spread that she pulled her wand on the first year. If that was the case then she was done for without a doubt.

Malfoy probably told everyone wild stories about her. At this rate Professor McGonagall would find out. Hermione would probably need to go and see her right away. It wasn't fair to not tell her herself. She would take any punishment dealt to her so long as she got to keep her job. On her way to dinner when was almost positive that she'd catch the woman and tell her everything when she found Ginny standing outside of the great hall.

"Hey, aren't you going to go and sit down?"

"Actually, I was wondering what was wrong with you today. You look like you committed a murder. Are you okay?"

"Well, I guess you haven't heard the rumour about the stunt pulled yesterday involving a first year student. I'm planning on telling McGonagall since the guilt is eating away at me." Hermione said, looking down as if she was ashamed.

"Wait, what? What the bloody hell did you do?"

Hermione mumbled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

"I pulled my wand on him."

"Really?! How come I haven't heard of this yet? When Professor Moody, well, really Barty Crouch Jr, either way... when he turned Draco into a ferret the news spread like wildfire in a dead field. I figured Ms Hermione Granger pulling a wand would've made it big! The golden trio is still being talked about you know."she rambled on.

"Wait, so you really haven't heard anything about it?"

"No, why?"

"Yesterday my classes were bad enough to provoke such a reaction in my first class of the day. Today... well, everyone was well-behaved."

"I overheard that Professor Malfoy had a bad night today in potions. Apparently he even gave a detention out on the first day!"

"Really? I was talking to him last night and he seemed to be his normal, evil self."

"You had a normal conversation with Malfoy?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"I wouldn't go that far!" she laughed.

The two laughed some more and entered the great hall, their good mood not faltering all through dinner. Hermione's guilt had locked itself away in the darkest corner of her brain, already on its way to being long forgotten. Neville happily chatted away with her as they talked about how much they enjoyed their new jobs. He was relieved to see that her sour mood had faded and that she was back to being a fun, upbeat person.

By the time Hermione was heading back to her portrait the young witch had completely forgotten about confessing her crime to Professor McGonagall. She had just said the password to the portrait guarding her room as Neville came skidding around the corner. She winced slightly as he slammed right into the wall, unable to stop.

Hermione was at his side in a flash.

"Are you alright?"

"But of course! I think I may of finally discovered the secret to muggle gardening! I wanted to test my theory but I ran into a slight problem."

"What is it Neville?"

"I got stuck with detention duty tonight so normally I'd have to wait until tomorrow. I was wondering if maybe you'd take over for me tonight and I'll do it for you when you want."

Hermione sighed. She still remembered what Ginny said. Draco had already assigned a detention, whose to say that there hadn't been more? Plenty of teachers were probably annoyed to no end by the mass confusion that yesterday seemed to be.

"I guess." she said offering a hand to Neville which he graciously grabbed.

"Thank you so much! He's supposed to be outside of the great hall in ten. I owe you big time!"

So with that he took off again, happily leaving Hermione without an ounce of understanding. Who was her charge? Dinner had ended just a few minutes ago, people would be pushing out en mass and he expected her to find a lone student who was probably going to use the crowd as an escape route. This is absolutely wonderful.

Trudging her way back to the great hall she thought about what had made her accept the request. It had to have been the spark of curiosity in his eyes. He was so excited to just test out this new theory that it couldn't wait, a pleasure that Hermione herself had felt many times in her short life. If she can't wait to test out a new theory, why would she try to make others?

Sighing she pulled up to the entrance, honestly surprised to see a student standing obediently at the door. Her surprise quickly faded into a mix of sadness and anger with the slightest bit of guilt as she saw just who was waiting for her to arrive.

When she met the first year's gaze, his eyes dropped to his shoes as a light blush covered his cheeks. Hermione likewise looked away at the sudden awkwardness. The poor boy was Jasper, the first year Slytherin that she had threatened just the previous day.

"What did you manage to do to end up in detention when you could be studying for my class?" she asked, forcing the boy to return her gaze.

The boy remained quiet, slightly unnerving Hermione. He wasn't still scared of her, was he? Or maybe it was worse, maybe he hated her now. She wouldn't be able to live if one of her precious minds built for moulding had despised her!

Hermione let out a huff of air again for what felt like the thousandth time in the last week.

"Well, aren't you going to come? We need to get to the library for detention today."

"Why the library?" he asked, speaking for the first time since she had overheard him in her class.

"Why, there's books to be put away and shelves to be dusted. The sooner you get this done the sooner you can leave so I suggest you hop to it. After all, at least you're not looking for unicorns as I had in my first year. You should be thankful for this punishment."

He didn't say anything but put his head back down and started trudging to the hall that started the long journey to the library.

* * *

"Wow." she heard him mutter under his breath.

"I know, even I didn't get to finish reading all the books in my time here. Of course, now that I'm a staff member there are a few I'm finally allowed to read, not that I hadn't at your age."

He looked up at her, eyes full of wonder and she realized something. Not all Slytherins were suddenly bad people the minute they were placed in the house. It was all on how they were raised, what they believed. She could see in Jasper's eyes that he thought this room was amazing. He had a passion for books. He may have been a bit troublesome in her first class but he was still just a child! One who had his whole life ahead of him. One who was amazed at the slightest things. He was child by all definitions of the word.

Hermione felt a familiar emotion pull at her stomach, making her sick. It didn't even help that in recent times this feeling had become one that it recognized easily.

Guilt.

It was eating away at her. No matter what the boy had said, none of it justified pulling out a wand on a child. She wasn't even supposed to have heard what he said.

Effortlessly she conjured up some cleaning supplies and told him to just put the unsorted books on the cart. She moved to a desk in the far corner where she could still watch Jasper as well as mope in her now sour mood.

She had to tell McGonagall. It was obvious that the student was uncomfortable around her and it wasn't really his fault. She had acted out of impulse and drove the issue up to the point where even she could feel the awkward tension filling the air.

Slowly but surely she calmed down her breaths. She watched Jasper work meticulously, being particularly careful around some of the older novels. It had been barely an hour before Hermione gave up, not being able to sit still in this room with him any longer. He had only done three quarters of the large room but she thought it was adequate enough.

"Alright." she said snapping her fingers to make the cleaning supplies vanish, "You can return to your dormitories now."

She had started to walk away, planning to head back into her room and sleep well, knowing that this time she wouldn't try to cover up the guilt but actually deal with the source.

"Wait." Jasper said just as she passed him.

She stopped and looked over at him. His face was down again but the blush was back, confusing Hermione.

He peeked a look up at her and Hermione decided that now was as good of a time as ever to start at the root of the guilt issue eating away at her inside.

"Listen..." she began, "I know that you're probably terrified of me but I really didn't mean to pull my wand out at you like that. There was really no reason for me to act so... unprofessional. I didn't mean to make you feel so uncomfortable around me. I was acting strictly on impulse. I'm actually going to tell Headmistress McGonagall when I get the chance tomorrow. I had meant to-"

"No! Don't! Listen, I know the real reason you did that and I'm the one who should be sorry. I said some words that probably weren't the best to say and you shouldn't be getting in trouble over it."

He was looking her straight in the eyes now and she knew that he was being honest with her. He didn't want her to get in trouble at all.

"I shouldn't of been listening in on your conversation anyway." she countered.

"Just please, you can't turn yourself in. It's really not your fault that the times are changing."

She stared at the child in front of her. He was only supposed to be eleven years old but this speech was not one that he could have come up with. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"You do know that you wouldn't get in trouble for that incident, right?"

"I already am in trouble for it. Why do you think I'm here? I'm really sorry for making you so angry but I wasn't watching what I was saying. You can't try to take all the blame."

This time her eyes narrowed significantly. Enough that if Jasper were looking at her he would think she'd gone mad.

"Professor Malfoy gave you this detention, right?"

Jasper looked up at her surprised. He definitely wasn't expecting that question. One look at her strained features told him that he should tell her the truth.

"Yes."

Inside, Hermione was screaming every obscenity she could think of, both muggle and wizard at the professor. Outside she was still as a stone as she tried to regain her composure.

"How dare he!" she yelled.

Apparently her composure wasn't as well controlled as she thought it was.

Immediately she turned back to Jasper, "He told you to say all of this, didn't he?"

Jasper shook his head furiously, slight terrified as he watched the teacher on front of him. "Not all of it. He only told me that you couldn't tell McGonagall, which I agree with, but otherwise it was all me. I really am sorry for those awful words, and not just because he already gave me trouble."

"Why would he stop me from telling McGonagall?"

"I don't know."

"Well, I really am sorry for threatening you."

"It's no problem, I deserved to be scared a little." he sad, still looking at her with cautious eyes. She still looked ready to blow.

"Can you also tell Malfoy that I don't need his help nor his concern?"

He nodded before running out of the room. The boy seemed scared by her level voice. Hermione would have been too. Inside she was livid. This just wasn't fair. First he was encouraging her bad behaviour, and now he's stopping her from being righteous and saving her sanity from the guilt. After talking with Jasper the emotion in question had disappeared but she still found her actions to be wrong.

Hermione sat down right where she was, rifling through her bag that she hadn't gotten to drop off. Rereading the letter Ron and written her, she grabbed out another piece of parchment and ink to write a reply.

_Dear Ron,_

_I can't believe that snake! He should just bite himself and die from his own venom. It seems fitting enough. He had the audacity to try to tell me what I can and can't do, using a student none the less! He couldn't of said the words right to my face? He really is a spineless git. It wouldn't surprise me if he had made Neville give up his detention job just to make his little plan fall into place. People like him disgust. Besides, there's no reason that he has to keep me out of trouble._

_He even said so himself last night, how he'd enjoy seeing my squirm under the spotlight as I received punishment for my actions. I still want to know how he had gotten to be a teacher here! He's probably helping plot McGonagall's fall so the Death Eater's can rise back up and reclaim their stake of fear. Teach all of the young kids their ways and raise a new army._

_Besides that argument my day has been a tremendous improvement compared to yesterday. My classes were a lot calmer and much more respectful. I even got to teach Ginny today. She really is bright. She knew all the basic rules off of heart! I even, at least I think, mended the relationship with my first year student, though I don't think I'm ready to face my class yet and they're first thing tomorrow! _

_I really wish you were here. I love you more than you'll ever know and I can't wait until I can see you again. Which will be soon I assure you! The weekend is coming up and I get every other one-off, promise you'll be there?_

_Love, _

_Hermione._

She folded it up and placed it in her bag. It was too late to visit the owlery tonight so she'd have to wake up early tomorrow morning to make a trip. Not wanting to go back to her rooms quite yet she browsed through some of the books, seeing if there were any interesting ones about transfiguration. When she didn't find one she continued to stall by putting away the unsorted books on the cart.

With that chore done and the late night quickly approaching she left for her rooms.

Draco Malfoy had won. Even though she didn't directly talk to him, she was still yelling at him in her head. He had infuriated her without saying a single word to her. His actions spoke volumes.

* * *

Wow. Just, wow. Where are all you people coming from?! I've had an awesome amount of readers and followers so I must be doing something right! 15 followers in 3 chapters is a lot to me. Thanks to everyone that's read this so far, I hope to see you all again next week.


	5. Promise Me

****Soon I'm going to run out of pre-done chapters since you're all so amazing. 400 views in 24 hours! You guys pushed me past 1000 and that's just... beautiful! Here's an early update for all of you. I'm not sure where I stand on this chapter but I hope you like it.****

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling is Queen and is responsible for the characters. I merely use them to fulfill my own desires that didn't happen in the canon verse.**

* * *

Her Lucky Break

Promise Me?

It had been two whole days since Hermione had detention duty and she still wanted nothing more than to take her wand and blast the smirk from Malfoy's face. Every time she stole a glance at him at dinner or in the hall the same insufferable turn of his lips was sitting there, as if it were perfectly carved into stone. It drove her crazy when he caught her glaring and his smirk grew to a smile, one that was cold and made her physically shiver. Within this one week of teaching here, Professor Malfoy had already pushed her to the breaking point and one little thing would likely set her off like a rocket. She was ready to explode.

Jasper hadn't caused any disturbance in her class when she taught him again. Instead he was the perfect little student which led her to believe that he had really meant his half of the apology. He still had trouble meeting her eyes even though she was remarkably calm while teaching. It's the start of her weekend off and just the thought of relaxing alone helped her forget all of it. It also helped that when she walked into her class yesterday a letter was sitting on her desk from Ron claiming that he'd be in town to see her.

That's how she got here, on her day off, walking through the hallways with purpose. It would probably be smart to just let the issue be as Jasper had warned with both Malfoy's words and his own. She couldn't though. She may not have any guilt left but it was still a wrong thing to do. There were other students in the room as well who bore witness to the extreme measures she had pulled. Yet the rumour still hadn't spread and she had no clue why. She had to turn herself into Professor McGonagall and take her punishment before it reached the professor's ears. As a teacher it was her responsibility to be a positive role model. She had no idea how that would be managed if she got fired, but she'd make it work. Besides, McGonagall was pretty understanding towards the young witch and as much as Hermione hated lying, she could blame some of it on the presence of Malfoy. Ever since he sauntered into that meeting two weeks ago she had looked down, over the edge and into her ever burning desire to hurt somebody.

She had figured that telling McGonagall later would only make the punishment worse. Besides if she got fired or had her teaching privileges temporarily revoked she could always travel with Ron until she found a job or got hers back.

She got to the door to the Headmistress' office when she stumbled upon one small problem. She didn't know the password. With Dumbledore you could always just guess a bunch of different candies until one succeeded. Unfortunately, she had no idea if McGonagall had kept it like that or if she had changed it completely. She huffed. She has to meet Ron in just over an hour and if she needs to pack her things to leave then she needs to see McGonagall right away. It was also Saturday so for all she knew, the headmistress might already be out for the day.

She turned around to leave only to find a pair of liquid silver eyes focusing on her. He looked completely disinterested but his eyes were laughing at her current predicament. Even though he won round one, the brunette had still refused to say a word to him aloud. Instead she opted for the much more subtle screaming at him in her mind.

Hermione knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up this time. It would take a miracle. Instead she just gave in.

"And to what do I owe this pleasure, professor?"

"Hey now, you're a professor too. I'm just here to make sure that you don't do anything stupid. I didn't do all that hard work for no reason. Besides, I'm keeping my end of the promise, McGonagall won't find out because of me."

"She's not going to. I'm going to tell her by my own free will. You don't have to worry about your 'trustful' act."

"Oh, but I do. You see, as someone who knew of the incident I should have reported it, as should have Jasper. Instead we made a plan to make you two friends again. Well, I made a plan. Do you know what it did to benefit all of us, including I?"

"No, but you're going to tell me just to keep me from telling on myself."

"Such a smart girl, if you were born a pure blood you would've been extremely influential."

Hermione blushed from anger. "Oh just can it, Malfoy. Either say what you want to or get lost. You're wasting my time."

"I kept it under the radar. I kept the rumour from spreading by tweaking the story to make it more innocent. Everyone believes that the real witnesses are just exaggerating and poor little Jasper just goes along with my story. Then, I got it resolved without anyone getting fired or expelled. " he chuckled, "Of course you must know by now that Jasper's use of mudblood like that would likely of gotten him into serious trouble. You know, with the war just ending. It doesn't make too much sense though. It's just slang for a muggle born."

Hermione's face got even redder. Anger had transformed. Morphed into rage, hatred, embarrassment. Her hand twitched towards her wand.

"Why don't you quit the lies?"

He let an innocent smile grace his features but Hermione wasn't going to be fooled by that. He wouldn't do anything to help another soul. It's in his nature to be cold and never do anything without an ulterior motive. Hermione didn't believe for a second that he actually did any of what he said he did. Knowing that that argument wouldn't go anywhere she changed the subject to what frequently bothered her mind since his arrival.

"Seriously. I can't believe you sent in a child to do your dirty work for you! You could have just came up to me yourself. Why won't you really tell me why you aren't letting me see Professor McGonagall?"

He let out a long sigh, looking around to make sure nobody was near by, as if the information was secretive.

"And people say you're the smart one. I thought you would've been snooping around by now and solved the mystery."

"What the bloody hell are you talking about? There is no mystery!" Hermione stared at him, she purposely left the remark about her intelligence out. Nobody was smarter than her except in two god awful classes. One being divination. The other due to favouritism.

"God, Granger. Professor McGonagall isn't here. She left on a job to the ministry about some sensitive stuff that happened. She left right after her speech the first night at dinner. It's been a hologram going around."

"Yeah, right. I'll believe that once you get taken back to Azkaban where you belong."

Malfoy glanced away, avoiding her eyes. "Fine. You can sit her until Tuesday when she comes back. Enjoy the boredom."

"Why would you tell me that anyway?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe I'm proud that I outsmarted the genius child everyone was so hyped about."

At the sight of his sarcastic smirk Hermione turned and walked down the hall to her rooms so she could change into normal clothes and head into Hogsmeade.

* * *

Hermione was sitting at a table in the far back of the room. The Three Broomsticks was bustling with customers as older students had come down here to socialize away from the castle. Hermione was content to just sit and drink her soda with cherry syrup for the first little while. Now, Ron was almost half an hour late and it was driving Hermione crazy. Her temper was already on a short fuse because of her argument with Malfoy this morning. She had really been looking forward to spend the day with Ron.

Ginny was some distance away, already snogging with Harry, who had bothered to show up on time and Hermione looked away, disturbed by the fact that she was invading their privacy. Hermione was just about to finish her drink and go looking for her boyfriend when she suddenly engulfed in warmth. When his lips barely grazed her cheek her frown disappeared, replaced by a look of utter enjoyment.

"You could have been on time you know." her voice was light though.

"And miss the look of surprise when I magically show up? I think not." Ron replied with a grin.

He took the seat across from her and Hermione couldn't help but feel relaxed. All she'd done was freak out about everything for the last two weeks. Sitting here in the little pub and inn was a nice feeling, as if she was going to float away without all of her worries holding her down. It was the all thanks to the aura of calmness Ron just seemed to emit.

"Bloody hell, Hermione. You look horrible."

"Yes, Ron, because that's why every girl wants to hear."

"Don't you know it, but seriously. You look like you had a rough morning."

"Oh, I did." she said, resentment in her voice. "I ran into Malfoy on my way to talk to Professor McGonagall and he started to make up some sort of excuse to keep me away from her! He said she was a hologram and that she was away on very important ministry business. I don't believe it for a second."

"Hermione.. there's something you should probably know."

"What is it? You don't seriously believe the lying snake, do you?"

"Actually, I do. I'm not really supposed to talk about it though. Harry could get into a lot of trouble, he could get fired for what I'm about to tell you."

At the thought of secret information Hermione dragged her finger over her lips, sealing them shut. Ron looked at her quizzically but she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, he's an auror, right? About a week ago, somebody with the Malfoy name killed themself in Azkaban. Nobody quite knows why yet. They think they had gone mad in their short time spent there. Either way, the death had distracted the guards and a few prisoners busted out. It's all very low profile, Harry's just starting out so he doesn't even know anything else about it. Only that there are thirteen missing as of today and rioting is happening. I think Professor McGonagall might be getting briefed about this right now. Possibly even helping the ministry."

"You can't be serious. I know Sirius Black managed to escape, but that was a lone person. How can the ministry lose thirteen of them?"

"I don't know. It baffles everyone according to Harry. Now come on, let's talk about something else. I think you've had enough dark and dreary days with the murderer living in the same place as you are."

"You have no idea." she laughed. "I'm surprised I haven't blown him to little pieces yet! He's just so infuriating."

"I doubt anyone would mind if you killed him."

"Just watch as Rita Skeeter will cover it. The tragic death of an innocent boy! Former death eater who was proved to be innocent has been killed due to old rivalry by Harry Potter's female friend! I can see the headlines now."

The two laughed and chatted aimlessly, in no rush to leave each others company. Ron had three butterbeers and had eaten a whole mountain of different foods before reserving a room there for tonight. The two young wizards took a stroll, watching all the people so excited and worry free. Not a care was in their minds.

Hermione realized that she would have been content to do this all the time. Just talk with Ron, a few kisses, holding hands, but mostly just talking. It relaxed her to have a normal conversation with him even though it had only been a couple of weeks. Morning turned to afternoon, afternoon to evening, and before either of them had realized they were walking through all the spots something had happened at.

They passed the Hogs' Head and remembered the first meeting for Dumbledore's Army. They passed the Shrieking Shack and thought of the truth about Sirius and how he was one of the best men the two had ever known. They even stopped in the forest, where Harry had beat up Malfoy and his goons using the invisible cloak and snowballs.

As dark fell around them, Hermione turned to Ron, intending to saying goodbye. They were standing outside The Three Broomsticks again so Ron could go to his room. However, Hermione's farewell didn't even get a chance to leave her lips before she noticed that Ron was looking away from her, avoiding her gaze.

"'Mione," she resisted shuddering at the sound of the horrible nickname, "I know that you don't want to marry me yet since you think we'd be rushing into it... but would you wear this?" he asked, bringing a small copper ring out of his pocket. There was only one detail and it was a small inscription that said 'forever' in cursive.

"It's not an engagement ring or anything like that. It's just a promise ring... I have one for myself as well." he said, still not meeting her gaze.

Hermione reached out carefully and grabbed the copper ring off of his palm. When he looked at her, she was sliding the ring on her finger, admiring the pretty shine of it. Throwing her arms around his neck she gave him a quick peck on the lips. They stood like that, embracing for a few moments before he untangled himself from her to stick his own ring on his finger.

"Well, I have to go back to the castle, but I'll see you soon!"

"You're kidding right? You're a teacher. Why not just stay here with me for the night?"

"I don't know, I still have no idea what the rules are for a teacher. I didn't exactly get a welcome pamphlet with all the information."

"Well," he began, "If they find out that you threatened a student with magic you would already be in trouble. May as well start now."

He held out his hand and Hermione couldn't stop the smile that lit up her whole face, met with an equally happy one from Ron. This is exactly why she loved him. His happy and carefree attitude often helped her mellow out and forget all of her troubles. He helped her relax and forget about the rules some times. He made her feel happy. Happy enough that even with the looming threat of punishment for breaking very important rule, she could relax and push it to the back of her mind. Placing her fingers through his they walked into the inn and sat at the same table they had this morning. They both ordered dinner, Ron happily eating enough to feed a small army.

When she got up to use the bathroom she was surprised to find the table empty on her return. Dinner had been paid for and she guessed Ron was in his room. When she got there she found him lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, not phased by her entry.

Removing her shoes she crawled onto the bed with him, gently resting her head on his chest. His arms reflexively went around her, holding her to him and he kissed the top of her head. Even though the night was still early the two didn't move. They stayed like that, just holding each other, not knowing when they'd get to again.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Ron mumbled the end turning into a snore.

So the two slept, held lovingly in each others embrace. It was the first night in a while that Hermione had a dream that wasn't based around stress or guilt or anger. It was peaceful, just flashes of images from her best memories and she knew that it was Ron's presence that had brought this about. After all, her best memories were only of her time at school with her two best friends.

* * *

When Hermione woke up that morning she was delighted to actually feel like she slept instead of staying up all night. Something about her sleeps back in the castle just wasn't the same, she'd wake up feeling exhausted instead of rested and it annoyed her quite frankly. She stretched, her fingers moving through the sheets as she looked for something. Realizing Ron was not in the bed with her, she opened her eyes to see a note on his pillow.

_Gone to get breakfast, will be back soon with some for you._

_Ron._

Hermione sighed, falling back into the bed, soaking up the warmth in the blankets. She lay there, perfectly still besides the rise and fall of her chest. Her eyes were closed and patterns and colours swirled behind her lids in pretty patterns. She only opened them when she heard the door open and sat up to look at Ron who wore a big grin. She flashed a dazzling smile at him as he handed her a plate with pancakes covered in strawberry syrup.

The two ate in companionable silence, neither one of them wanting to ruin the mood. Only when Hermione get up to fix her hair so she could return to the castle did either of them speak.

"I wish you didn't have to go. I miss you already."

Hermione gave him a small smile, "Well, it was only two weeks last time. We could probably do this every other weekend."

"Are you serious? I have to wait another two weeks? I almost died last time."

The two laughed. "Well, I only wish that you could be here with me. I was thinking of maybe taking not next year, but the year after off and travelling with you."

"Then you'll be forced to come and watch all of my games, even if we end up on a losing streak. Which I doubt, we still haven't lost one since I've joined the team."

Hermione smirked slightly at his confidence as she pulled her fingers sharply through her hair. There was one knot that just refused to get out! Soon Ron's hands covered hers, "Let me."

So she did, relaxing into the feel of his hands slowly working their way through her hair removing all the large tangles in an effort to make her acceptable to be seen in public. She would miss this moment the second she walked out of this room. It wasn't fair that Malfoy had gotten a teaching position and not Ron, but then again, Ron teaching potions would likely result in the school being blown up. She giggled at her own little joke.

After Ron had finished she turned around and planted a small kiss at the corner of his mouth. He pouted and she turned away, blowing another kiss at him. He winked at her, stuffing it into his pocket, a muggle sign she had taught him.

"I'll really miss you. I love you."

"And I you. I'll write soon, I promise. Keep up your win streak for me!"

With that she was gone, out of the room and out of the Three Broomsticks. She started walking when a sliver of light down one of the alleys caught her attention. It wasn't light though; it was long, pale blond hair, almost white in colour. By the time she looked back the hair was gone, disappearing into the morning and out of her thoughts.

* * *

**Awww, some cute Ron and Hermione even though this is a Dramione story and they're not going to last long. I almost feel bad since Ron is such a sweetheart at times. Thoughts? Enjoy the bickering at the start? Or the promise ring? I mostly can't wait until Hermione stops being "'Mione" since I'm personally not a fan of the nickname but I feel like the casualness of it really fits Ron.**

**~Aerivia**


	6. The Image of Lucius Malfoy

**There's a very important message at the bottom! Please read!**

**D****isclaimer: Even in my wildest dreams I can't take credit for this wonderful universe.**

* * *

Her Lucky Break

The Image of Lucius Malfoy

Flashes of silver. That was all her nightmare consisted of yet each day when she woke up, she was frozen stiff from terror. It wasn't even as if the silver itself was represented in a scary way. She'd see silver rings, or a silver light like the moon gave off. Something about the colour put her on edge now though. Ever since she had come back from her night with Ron almost three weeks ago this dream had haunted her. Every night. It was starting to show too. Bags were appearing under her eyes and she always seemed to have tea in front of her.

She looked like a zombie.

Last weekend when she saw Ron again was the only time that she had slept peacefully. His arms around her were the only thing that made her feel safe even though there was nothing left to fear. The war that had plagued almost half of her life was over. It had ended almost three months ago now as September is quickly coming to a close.

The past weeks had been almost unbearably boring. Her classes behaved in such a calm way and were so quick to learn that Hermione was constantly thinking up more complex lessons. Unfortunately, even that didn't fill all of her free time. Marking wasn't even a chore and was done in maybe an hour. Detention had left her sitting in the library with whoever got into trouble reading some of the fiction works. She hadn't told McGonagall about had happened what felt like forever ago, opting instead to just stay in better control. Not that anything ever tested her. Her classes were all full of little angels and it drove her mad. Her days were so full of dullness that she actually missed her banter with Malfoy, something she didn't even think was possible.

Luckily Hermione had the evening off. Normally she'd be doing the east corridors in patrols but had left that instead for Blaise who claimed he needed to clear his head. She didn't blame him. The whole place had seemed extremely eerie ever since the news of the breakout had gone public. There were thirteen criminals out there. Blaise's parents could very well be one of them and she couldn't imagine that being easy on him at all. Even though the information of the breakout was available, they had left out on very crucial piece of information. Who had escaped. The ministry hadn't let anyone outside of the aurors on the case and their superiors know what had happened. This could either mean very bad news, or very good news. It was scary to think that she could talk to one of the criminals out of the blue and not even know since no descriptions were released.

That's why she was here in the owlery once again. She had written a letter to Harry hoping that he could do some snooping for her. She doubted he's do it. Even though he is her best friend, he just got this job and there was no way she'd make him take the risk and lose it. She was curious though; why would they withhold this information? Wouldn't letting the public in on it so that they can help reprimand them? Or tell the ministry of anything suspicious?

She sent the owl off, hoping maybe that Harry already had some information that he could sneak into a letter. Maybe decoding something would cure her boredom.

She wouldn't count on it though.

She watched the owl fly off into the night sky, just a speck blocking out the stars on this nearly moonless night. Tomorrow would be the new moon. It was always odd to not see the light in the night sky, even if it was just a reflection. It just left a dark spot that made the night seem lonely.

Hermione was exhausted but really didn't want to go to sleep. The fear was irrational in her mind. It was just a colour that kept appearing, it wasn't like it was doing anything. What confused her now was, why was she having such a dream? It didn't make any sense. What had sparked this dream that refused to go away?

Hermione was just about to leave when an owl landed beside her, holding a letter from the ministry. No, correction, the letter was from Harry and addressed to her. There was no way the owl she sent not ten minutes ago had made it there already so Harry must have sent it this morning. She gingerly removed the letter from the owl's beak, not wanting to get pecked. She gave it a treat from a nearby dish and opened the letter.

_Dear Hermione_

_I wish I had more to tell you. Those dreams seem weird, maybe you're going mad? No, you passed that point a long time ago. Anyway, I have been added to the 'Azkaban Prison Escape' case where there are no leads besides who has gone missing. I wish I could actually tell you something but I promised not to say anything __without permission __as soon as I accepted the case._

_If I could tell you I bet that brilliant mind of yours would let me solve this thing quickly so I can come visit Ginny. I don't think I'll be able to make it in tomorrow but I sent a letter for her._

_I need to get to work, but I wish I could help with your problem. Maybe you triggered a memory?_

_Harry_

Hermione sighed. No, she hadn't triggered a memory, she checked that already. Besides, that's not the important part. He was promoted to the case and yet he couldn't share any information. If they were calling on extras it had to be serious. However, they could just be giving experience to recruits, in that case it had to be easy. If it was easy though, why would they keep information from the public?

Hermione read and reread the letter all the way back to her room, only stopping to say hi to Blaise which he only nodded in acknowledgement to. If there was one thing she had learnt about the former Slytherin in the past month was that he rarely spoke unless it was required and when he did his voice was low and soft. A quiet rumble that amazed her every time she heard it come from the man.

Even when Hermione got into bed she still saw the words of the letter and felt her ever rising suspicion settling into her stomach. She fell asleep to the dark thoughts on her mind.

* * *

As was Saturday's tradition, if it wasn't your day off, the teachers all gathered in the great hall to eat breakfast with the students. Hermione had flown down the stairs, a slight skip to her step. The dream hadn't been half as bad as normal. Instead it was just her toying with a silver ring that had an 'M' inscribed.

When she woke up this morning she found herself holding onto the small copper ring Ron and given her that said 'forever' and smiled slightly. He hadn't written her yet this week but he had a big game just two nights ago they had won. She wouldn't be surprised if they were still celebrating their win. She pushed her way into the great hall from the teacher's entrance and took her seat, surprised at the lack of students in the room. Even then there were only a few teachers. Did she forget something? She glanced to her left where Neville would sit but it was empty. He shared the same days off as she did though.

Looking at her watch she deduced that she was neither late nor early. It was the same time she always arrived, two minutes sharp before the post. She enjoyed reading the newspaper when she ate her breakfast. She gave up trying to find all the missing people just as someone answered her unspoken question.

"Hogsmeade trip. They're all supervising."

Hermione looked startled to her right where Blaise casually took a bite out of his toast as if he hadn't even spoken. She looked down at her own food, stabbing her hash brown squares with her fork. She was about to lift the utensil to her mouth when a newspaper landed in front of her.

What she saw on the first page made her blood run cold.

_Muggle Family Murdered: Foul Wizard Play Suspected_

_At 22:15 last night the muggle family Squills showed up dead. It appears that they were all killed by magic means according to the aurors who arrived on scene. They did however, refuse to say if this was related in any way to the prisoners._

The article went on about the family and the suspicions that the author had but Hermione couldn't focus on any of that. Instead she saw the name, age, and picture of one little boy. Maximus Squill was only three years old and the world had already abandoned him.

Hermione felt tears prickle behind her eyes as she dropped the newspaper into her breakfast, barely noticing as Blaise picked up the article and gave a small sound of disgust as he read it. Around the room the same thing was happening. Everyone who saw the article were giving cries of outrage and disapproval as they read. Hermione sat there, shocked and trying not to cry.

After all that had happened, everything that had been lost, only three months had passed before muggles were killed again. Not even muggleborns or someone who could fight back against the magic. It was wrong and sickening. Hermione was surprised she didn't puke right then and there.

The rest of breakfast was silent. Nobody had wanted to hear news like this so soon. Nobody wanted to hear news like this ever. It wasn't fair.

The sullen mood hung like a cloud over the school all week. Another two muggle families had been killed during this time. Each time it was a mother, father, and a little boy. It was driving Hermione crazy seeing all of this pop up into the news. It didn't help that all of her free time was spent theorizing about what kind of monstrous person would do such a thing. Small children who knew nothing of this world and had their whole lives ahead of them.

Hermione didn't even have anything to look forward too. Ron had cancelled on coming down for the weekend since he and his team had a huge game. Hermione was disappointed but she understood, besides, at least he remembered to write. When Friday rolled around and yet another newspaper article brought to attention a fourth family she nearly ran just to avoid looking at it. She noticed that there was a letter stuck in there. Harry had written back a response for the last letter.

_Hermione,_

_This needs to be brief since I have a lot of work to do with these events. We discovered something and I want to know what you make of it. All that I know was what I heard from others on the murder events but they're linked with the prison escape._

_They have pretty good reason to suspect as much anyway. The dark mark was branded into each of the mothers' stomachs. I have no idea why since nobody tells me anything._

_What do you think?_

_Harry_

Hermione's eyes were wide with horror all the way to her classroom and they stayed like that the whole time. Her class looked at her curiously as she gave the lesson in a quiet voice that the kids in the back struggled to hear. When she sat at her desk she barely noticed as Jasper came up to her.

"Are you alright, Professor Granger?"

Hermione shook her head.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Hermione shook her head again, her mind racing at a hundred thoughts racing through her mind a second. Why was the brand placed on the stomach?

"Well, just know that there's people you can talk to."

Hermione nodded as Jasper took his seat.

The Death Eaters were always theatrical but everything they did was for a reason. They wanted an impact and while they may have gotten pleasure from what they did, they never did it for pure fun. So why were they putting the mark on the stomachs? There was one person she could ask about the reasons but that was far from a good idea. That man could be working with them this very moment for all she knew. He hadn't been coming for meals and was apparently always reading and writing stuff down in his class.

No, she'd have to do all of this research herself. So that's how she found herself scratching down a quick note to Harry asking him to send her any and all information he could find about the families, particularly the women.

She never found herself wishing her teaching was over but today Hermione was just itching to get into the library. When she finally got the chance she all but ran out of the room. Partly because of the thought of gaining knowledge, partly for having something to do. She'd help the ministry even if they'd been too stubborn to ask for help from the community by just making certain pieces of information available. At the same time though, she understood why they had kept it under wrap. These criminals who got out were likely to be former Death Eaters and that would not sit well with the community. To add to that, they were apparently out killing muggles... just the cherry on the ice cream.

Hermione went immediately to the restricted section of the library. It would be the only place in this school to get information by means other than personal opinions out of others mouths. She skimmed through fifty-two different tables of contents, trying to find anything on Death Eaters or the symbolization of branding. She pulled the twelve books she found over to the desk in the far corner she occupied every time she came here.

She immediately got to work, ignoring everything else that happened as people entered and exited the room. She was absorbed in her work, reading every word carefully but with a speed that put the fastest reader to shame. Even then the books were as thick as the castle's walls and the print was small. She'd be spending eternity in her, or so she thought, until she came across a dated entry in one of the books.

_June 19th, 1963_

_It happened again. This time a man was killed and had the dark mark on his forehead. Nobody can figure out why this had happened though. I wouldn't care but that man was my father._

_He was killed and people suspected my mother since he was having an affair, but she's innocent, I know it. She was hurt but not enough to do this. I only wish that they would believe me. Besides, what about the woman from the Clysse family? My mother had no affiliation with her besides the meetings she attended with the Knights of Walpurgis._

_But why? Why would anyone kill my father? He's loyal to the Knights so why does he bare their symbol on his forehead?_

Hermione sighed, this was not the kind of information she had been looking for. It made no sense at all except that there used to be a similar case, back when the Death Eaters were known as the Knights of Walpurgis. Well, not quite. This time around they weren't wizards that were being killed, just innocent muggles. Plus, the mark was on the forehead of the man. Where was it on the Clysse woman though?

Hermione knew that the women was the only truly useful part. That woman might be the key to why the mark was placed on them as she seems to be the first victim. Yet, something about the entry was bugging Hermione. She sighed, glancing at her watch. She packed up her bag with the journal and put the other books she hadn't already finished skimming through on the corner of the desk with a note saying "do not touch" since she really didn't want to carry all that weight to her room. Placing the rest back on the shelves Hermione left with her earlier note to Harry in her hand.

Pausing at the door she scribbled one last thing on the sheet of paper. _Please get me all you can about the Clysse family from 1963, particularly around June._

She stuffed the small letter into the envelope as she rushed out of the room. She wanted to get this information as soon as possible and there was no way she'd wait until morning unless it was necessary. At this point she was willing to break into the owlery after it already closed down for the night.

She rounded the corner when she realized something was very wrong. Down this hall were only a few rooms, rarely even in use for classes anymore. In one of the abandoned rooms was loud crashing sounds followed by obscenities being yelled. Hermione hurried over to the door, hoping to help whoever was having such a problem, only to nearly scream at the sight.

Desks were overturned and a few chairs were smashed. The wooden desk up at the front had a giant hole in it as did the chalkboard. When she saw the blood around the holes she followed it to the man with his back towards her. His hands were bloody and bruised so she assumed he had caused the two holes. His whole body was quivering like a sheet of paper in the wind and he was yelling every swear word Hermione had ever heard and then some.

That wasn't why she almost screamed though. The absolute anger that surrounded him gave off one single feeling. It made sense since the man was his son and just as evil but it still surprised and terrified her.

Before her was a man so much like his father.

Before her was the image of Lucius Malfoy.

* * *

**Uh oh! Somebody is heading down the wrong path! I wonder what might of set him down that road? Any ideas? I'll give one hint, nothing to do with Ron or Hermione or any of the main characters.**

_**Alright, so this story is going to take quite a dark turn pretty soon. There's abuse/non-consensual themes in the upcoming chapters. It's only briefly mentioned (no graphicness or anything like that) and after that it's pretty much dropped and not thought of again until way later since the character it revolves around becomes somewhat irrelevant. I thought I should give a heads up since I don't think it's M-rated just some people can get uncomfortable at these things so I'm giving a warning.**_

**On a much happier note, you guys almost ****doubled the views from last week. Thanks so much to all of you, I hope you enjoy your weekend! Don't forget to leave a comment!**


	7. The Murder of the Unborn

**Where are you all coming from? Is there some garden located on here that sprouts more and more readers with every chapter you publish? My very first week with chapter 1, I got 67 visitors. In 12 hours, just today, I got 183 visitors on chapter 6. I couldn't get this one out fast enough for you guys in celebration of a new record for me. On any story. **

**Disclaimer: Draco would've been the one to kill Voldemort and save his family as well as others who were only working for him due to fear. Then Harry would've kneeled before his superior and Ron would shine his shoes... and maybe I should stick to letting JK Rowling control canonverse.**

* * *

Her Lucky Break

The Murder of the Unborn

Hermione ran. She took off like a rocket towards the owlery. She kept seeing silver lights and silver objects everywhere and she was terrified. She ran as fast as she could. She knew there was no point, Malfoy hadn't even noticed her in his fit of rage, but she couldn't be anywhere near him. In that one moment he had looked so much like the murderer he called a father. In that one moment she had no idea what he was capable of, or of what she would do in retaliation.

She was relieved when she flew into the room and let the only silver she enjoyed seeing encompass her. The light the moon supplied was a comforting silver, much unlike the one that plagues her dreams. That silver was cold and unrelenting, making her tremble from fear long after she awoke. This one was warm a soft.

She passed her letter to Harry off to an owl and set a lantern up. Pulling the journal from her bag she sat and continued to read. There was only two other murders included in the book but no names were given. To top it off, if there was a connection between the murders it wasn't stated. These two were both men but that's about it. The last two also bore the mark though there was no specifications as to where. The only thing the four of them had in common was that they were all purebloods that had been a part of the Knights.

Purebloods. The ones dying now are just your average everyday muggles. The only similarity between the two cases was that the mark had been found. No families murdered in the ones occurring in 1963. Only lone people. It wasn't as if they didn't even have families either. The person who wrote this was the son or daughter of one of the victims and it said that the man had a wife.

So why did these seem so similar to each other?

Hermione's brain was starting to hurt as she stood up and placed the book back in her bag. It was nearing midnight and she hadn't eaten since breakfast. The thought of food nearly set her stomach off though as fear still resided there. She forced a granola bar from her bag down her throat as she walked back to her rooms.

When she passed the classroom Malfoy had been in she peaked in against her better judgement. Everything was repaired and for a second she thought it had all been some terrible dream until she saw the blood trail on the floor. He may of fixed all the objects but had forgotten to clean up the rest of the mess.

Hermione cast a small spell to remove the blood and continued on her way to her room. Weariness was starting to settle into her bones, her many sleepless night to thank for that. Tomorrow her fix of Ron wouldn't be here to help her sleep. At this point though, she couldn't care. She settled into her bed, enjoying the warmth her blanket supplied. All she wanted was to have a dreamless sleep but with her miserable luck she knew it wasn't going to happen.

She knew it but she couldn't stop it.

_Her eyes opened to a dark room and she noticed that she was surrounded by something warm and sticky. She tried to turn her head to see what exactly it was but she couldn't move. Only her eyes and mouth were cooperating. She was about to call out for help when a hand gripped her chin._

"_Oi. Lookie here at who has finally woken up. Such a darlin' face." a man said._

"_Quit fooling around." a second voice said, it sounded oddly familiar to Hermione but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "I already let you have your fun, just finish her and her-"_

_His voice was cut off as Hermione shrieked loud enough to wake all of London. The man who held her chin had grabbed his wand and was pointing it at her stomach._

"_No. Anywhere but there, please!" Why was she trying to stop it form being on her stomach?_

_The man didn't listen, continuing to move the wand until it was touching her skin._

"_Sorry 'lil lady. Orders are orders."_

"_No, please. I'm begging you!" she pleaded trying to move her arms up to cover her stomach. The effort was futile though as she still couldn't move._

_The wand heated up and emitted a small, purple light as it warped her skin. Her screams of agony were only met by a smile and laugh as the man continued his assault upon her skin. Her mind was racing, all of her thoughts about protecting... something. All the pain clouded her mind and she couldn't grasp the thought._

_Her voice was going hoarse and her arms were still filled with lead and refused to move but she wasn't giving up. What was she trying to protect? Her mind worked hard but it didn't want to come forward with the information she was searching for. The missing link. She wasn't even fighting for herself anymore. It was all for whatever she was protecting._

_As her vision started to fade she knew she was done. There was no way she was going to make it out of this situation. The last thing her eyes locked on was long hair so light it shone in the dark room._

Hermione's screams filled her rooms and knew that if it wasn't secured by a silencing charm that the whole castle would of been woken from the sheer force of the sound it made. Even after it stopped she could still hear the ringing in her ears. She sat up carefully, aware that every nerve in her body was on fire. She walked on shaky legs to the mirror on the back of her door and lifted her shirt. Her stomach was perfectly soft and smooth as it had always been. The relief was tangible in the air around her.

It was just a dream.

Yet it felt so real that Hermione was ready to cry. It was early in the morning, normally she would sleep for another half hour at minimum, but there was no way she could sleep after that. Sighing she moved to her closet, deciding to spend as much time as possible doing her morning routine. She chose some very comfortable clothes to wear beneath the robe and slipped on her favourite pair of sneakers. Even if she didn't have a destination in mind, it was her weekend off. Maybe she'd visit the lake? Or buy some candy from Hogsmeade?

Brushing through her hair carefully she even applied some hair products to help keep it smooth and less bushy. Figuring she had stalled long enough she stuffed her wand away and travelled out the door, not looking at the man in her portrait. There was no way he hadn't heard the screaming she had done this morning and she wasn't in the mood to answer his questions.

She took her time in the halls, not because she was stalling this time, but because she had nothing to do. She was going down to attend breakfast but that was all she had to do today. She could hang out with Ginny; Harry had too much on his plate right now to come down. Hermione almost laughed. Both girls' boyfriends were busy with their jobs while these two sat around waiting for their appearance all week long. Well, on week for Ginny, two for Hermione.

Deciding that she would seek out Ginny after breakfast the young woman put a little more bounce to her step instead of dragging her feet. She had finished her breakfast when Ginny trudged into the room. Hermione waited patiently as the young girl ate, getting up as she was about to finish and practically skipping her way over. The two girls left the great hall before either spoke.

"What has you in such a cheery mood? Did Professor Malfoy get fired?"

"Not that I know of. I do however know something. He went crazy last night a tore up a classroom." Hermione thought for a second. "Don't go spreading that though. I didn't seem him nor Professor McGonagall at breakfast so they might actually be kicking him out right now."

"I don't think I've seen you so excited over something like that. I just hope it catches."

"Are you bummed about Harry?"

Ginny nodded meekly and Hermione debated telling the younger girl about the information Harry had shared. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed unwise since if Harry wanted her to know she would.

"You know that he really wanted to come, work just held him up. Besides, at least you get to spend every weekend with him. I'm ready to quit and just become Ron's groupie!" the girls laughed but Hermione had to think for a minute. Would she actually do that? She couldn't see either of them giving up their dreams for the other but she was fine with that, it left them the freedom that they needed to be themselves.

"I just wish that Harry would write shorter letters to be completely honest. It feels like I'm reading a novel. They're all really sweet though. He keeps telling me about the future and how we're going to move to someplace sunny and get married on a beach."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Ron just wanted a Las Vegas wedding."

"What's that?"

"Well, you go to a chapel in Vegas and get hitched. A lot of the time people aren't in their right mind, usually drunk. Some even have a drive thru so you can wear your sweat pants and have your hair a mess while still getting to be brought together. You only need two witnesses. It's cheaper and less stressful than a full blown wedding."

"Is that what you'd want though?" Ginny asked, looking carefully at the girl.

"Honestly... no, I've always dreamed of a grand wedding but at the same time intimate. It's kind of hard to explain. I think I just want the fairy tale type."

"That sounds nice. I've always wanted a quiet celebration with just family and a few of our closest friends."

"That sounds like it would be fun to attend. Would I get to be one of the few closest friends?" Hermione joked.

"Why of course! I'll need a Maid of Honour, won't I?"

The two girls laughed.

"So why are you really happy? Did Ron's game get cancelled and so he's coming here instead?" She asked, watching Hermione playing with the copper ring on her finger.

"No. I had a nightmare."

"And that's a good thing how?" Ginny asked surprised.

"It changed. Remember the dream I was having about flashes of silver?"

Ginny nodded, not quite sure where the professor was going with this.

"Well, this time there were two men and they killed me." she ignored the strange look Ginny was giving her. "It means that my brain is finally processing my irrational fear of silver. Or so I'm hoping. Actually, this nightmare was really odd for some reason. I kept yelling at the one man who was trying to put a mark on my stomach. I kept asking him anywhere but there and I tried protecting..." Hermione's voice trailed off as her eyes went wide. She dropped to the floor in a sitting position, ignoring the slight pain in her backside.

"Hermione! Are you alright?!"

"It can't be..."

"What can't be? Hermione Granger! Talk to me!"

"How much of Harry's job did he tell you? No, not about his job... about the case of the muggle murders?" Hermione asked in a quiet voice. Maybe Ginny would know something that she didn't and it would help her prove this ridiculous theory wrong.

"Nothing. He wouldn't tell me anything about it. Did he tell you something?"

Hermione nodded. "The two cases.. they're linked. I just don't know why but something is very wrong. I think I know the answer subconsciously though. In my nightmare I was trying to protect something innocent, that's all I could figure out. I was protecting a baby!"

"You... you think they're killing the muggles to kidnap babies? Hermione, those were just small families of three. There was no babies."

"I don't mean it like that. I need to go find McGonagall right now. Can you write a letter to Harry telling him I'm going to drop by on a visit? I promise I'll fill you in later!" And with that Hermione was dashing down the hall at a breakneck pace while Ginny tried to figure out what had gotten the woman so riled up.

* * *

Hermione remembered the password this time and burst into the room, gasping for breaths as her legs burned.

"The women... They were.. pregnant. All of those muggle women..." she tried saying in between her gasps for air.

"Ms Granger, what in the world are you doing in here? Take a seat!" Professor McGonagall commanded giving the girl a glass of water.

Hermione sipped graciously at the water. "Those women who were branded in the muggle murder case, they were all pregnant. I know it."

"How did you know about that?" McGonagall asked calmly.

"About the pregnancies? I don't for sure, it's just a theory I came up with while researching."

"Not about that. About how the women had the dark mark on their stomachs?"

"Harry told me." she replied hastily, "But wait, were the women pregnant? Do you know about this?"

Professor McGonagall shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "It's a probability. At least, according to the information that you and Professor Malfoy have brought forth. This needs to be addressed to the Ministry at once..."

Hermione stopped listening. Professor Malfoy had brought some information to her attention as well? She looked around the room to see Draco Malfoy standing by a bookshelf, his fingers running over the spines as he looked.

"Ms Granger!" Professor McGonagall said, drawing Hermione's attention back to her, "As I was saying, I think it's best of you two head out to the Ministry and once and present these new pieces of information yourselves. However, I must ask something of you, Hermione."

"Yes?"

"I would ask that you say that you were doing research under me and that all information you know of either case had been told to you by me. Mr Potter doesn't need to be worrying about his job right now and he could very well get fired for the stunt he pulled. He must have a lot of faith in you and your theories. The dark mark on the bodies was kept to the inner circle of aurors who were personally working the case... it raises the question of how he knew about it."

Hermione glanced back over at the man at the bookshelves. She didn't exactly want to go with him but she didn't really have a choice.

"Does this mean I'm sworn to secrecy then?"

Professor McGonagall laughed slightly.

"You could say something like that. Welcome to our club." Malfoy answered not even looking in her direction.

She glared at the back of his head. How did she go from a nightmare, to talk of marriage, to being stuck in a secret society hunting down killers and finding out their motive all in the course of a few hours? Lady luck hadn't been on her side all month it appeared and she sure wasn't changing over now. Professor McGonagall was busy scratching down some words on a piece of parchment. Hermione waited patiently as she finished, motioning for Malfoy to join them. She handed the paper to him.

"Alright, so once you get there you'll need to hand this over. Whoever greets you should take you straight to Potter and you'll have to tell him everything you both know. With this seal you'll have access to records that almost nobody does. Check the death records to see if any of the women were pregnant. Those just came in this morning and nobody has seen them yet. Other than that, I can only wish you luck."

Hermione stood as McGonagall did, following her over to her desk. Hermione was relieved when she was handed floo powder, she was still against using apparition unless it was entirely necessary. During her search for the horcruxes with Harry she'd done enough to last her a lifetime.

She stepped into the fireplace and said the words "Ministry of Magic" as clear as was humanly possible. She was there for maybe ten seconds before a hand gripped her shoulder.

"And what do you think you're doing here miss?" a man in a uniform asked.

"She's here with me."

Hermione jumped a little when she realized his voice was right behind her. She watched him step around her and give the man the note like Professor McGonagall had told him to. The man skimmed it over before speaking again.

"Where are you going?"

"We're here to speak with Mr Harry Potter about the case he's currently working on as an auror."

The man started walking away, Malfoy following. Hermione stood there for a second before racing to catch up. They went through so many turns as well as ups and downs in the elevators that Hermione was surprised she could walk straight. The two men she was with seemed completely ignorant of the effects though.

When Hermione finally saw Harry she couldn't help but call out his name, causing a scoff from Malfoy who was standing beside her.

Harry turned around, half jogging to meet them halfway.

"'Mione! What are you doing here? Is everything alright."

She was so excited to see Harry that she ignored the use of the nickname. Her excitement passed quickly as she remembered why exactly they were here.

"I wouldn't quite say that..."

"Nobody's hurt, are they? Is everyone okay?" Harry was starting to freak out by this point.

"It has nothing to do with any of your life outside of work, Potter. We're here for McGonagall and need to see the medical records of the victims in the muggle cases."

"I can't let just anyone see that, Malfoy. Even I can't."

Malfoy wordlessly held up the note and Harry's eyes bugged out of his head as he read the note and took notice of the small mark at the bottom of the page. It obviously meant something important because next thing Hermione knew he was ushering them into a room filled with boxes. Pulling one off the shelf, Harry opened it up and wordlessly took out three large manilla envelopes.

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"If any of the women were pregnant." Hermione said in a quiet voice. As good as a lead this was, she was hoping with every once of her being that her idea was wrong. She didn't want anything else but to not know the answer.

Harry skimmed over the records, pulling out face set into a scowl.

"How did you know?"

* * *

**Ahhh, you guys so deserved this even if I'm not a big fan of it. A little too dark for me. I could've continued this chapter forever. I had to stop it here and put it into two parts. Look out for a chapter possibly on Tuesday since it's the last day of September and I'll have survived a whole month of school and will post as a present for myself.**

**As always, remember to leave a comment on your thoughts! **


	8. She's A Mess

**Alright guys! This is the longest chapter yet and you all deserve it. It's a bit... interesting I guess I would call it.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Draco Malfoy.**

* * *

Her Lucky Break

She's a Mess

A strangled sob escaped Hermione's lips as she covered her mouth. She looked around the room in a panic before spotting a garbage can. She ran over there, oblivious to the boys who in turn where trying their best not to listen to the disgusting sounds coming from her corner.

"You're joking right? Please for the love of Merlin, Potter. Tell me your lying." Malfoy said on the verge of hysterics.

Harry wordlessly held up the reports to let him see and Draco took a seat in one of the plain chairs, leaning forward to rest his head on his hands. "Fuck. That's not good, that means that the mark was planted by a member of the Death Eaters and not just a copycat as we originally though. Muggle fucker, and just when it was starting to make sense. They had to be a member, it's the only way they would've known about the events in '63..."

"Will somebody please tell me what's going on."

"Let her explain how she knew of this first." Draco said, directing his thumb back towards the woman in the corner. "Are you finally over your session, 'Princess' or are we going to wait on you all day?"

Hermione glared but stood up, wiping her mouth with a tissue. She took a seat beside Malfoy but otherwise completely ignoring him.

"Well, Harry told me about the marks on the stomachs and I found it to be very odd. So I did some research, although whatever I found it sounds like you know more based off the year you just said. In 1963 similar events happened that involved being branded, but only one woman was killed. The rest was men.

"Something seemed really wrong about it but I closed the journal and went to bed. Then I had a nightmare. Two men had me down and were trying to put the mark on my stomach and I kept freaking out about that, trying to convince them of anywhere but there. That's when I realized I was trying to protect something. It wasn't until I was talking to Ginny about it that I put two and two together." Hermione looked down at her stomach a shuddered.

"Whatever they did... it killed the baby first, didn't it?" she whispered.

"Yes." Malfoy was the one to answer.

"I need to go. I'll be back in a few minutes." Hermione said rushing through the door and into the closest bathroom.

After finishing her singing lesson she walked over to the mirror and saw her pale skin, looking slightly green with flushed cheeks. Her eyes were wide with horror and her mouth tasted awful. She cupped her hands and brought water to her mouth, swishing it around before spitting it out. Next she smoothed out her hair and fixed her rumpled robes. She tried placing a cool hand to her cheek but it didn't make a difference. Instead she stood there, holding on to the counter as if her life depended on it.

How could they do such a thing? All three women were pregnant. All the murders were intentional, including the death of the babies. Hermione instinctively clutched her stomach like she had tried to do in her dream. The thought of the man, smiling as he killed the baby and then her made Hermione's head spin as she almost fell to the floor.

Completely innocent. It hadn't seen a single horror the world had to offer and yet it was taken long before its time. Hermione grunted, standing up straight. She was going to solve this until it killed her. She wasn't going to sit back and watch as people killed more of them. Hermione pushed herself off the counter and walked out of the room, a fierce determination in her eyes. She walked back into the room only to realize that the boys were waiting for her arrival and not paying attention to each other.

"I need you to fill out this statement sheet unless you'd like to stay here for the next week and deal with meeting after meeting. We'll send an owl if your presence is required." Harry said in his work voice.

They probably had him memorize this line for times like this and the thought almost made Hermione giggle. She filled out the paper and handed it over.

"Alright, thanks. It was nice seeing you again Hermione. Drop by soon, okay?"

"Don't worry, I will!" she said flashing a smile at him. With that she was out of the room and travelling back down to the floo system. She could hear Malfoy chuckling behind her but she didn't care until she stopped short and Malfoy rammed into her back.

"Bloody hell, Granger. What did you stop for?"

Hermione carefully padded her pockets, hoping that she had floo powder on her even though she knew she didn't. As Malfoy realized her dilemma he started to chuckle, bursting into full-blown laughter once she started cursing him under her breath.

She looked around the large space only to find it nearly empty as everyone had started their shifts. It was doubtful that any of the other people here would be willing to give up some so they could return to Hogwarts. She turned around to glare at the bemused man behind her.

"You don't happen to have any floo powder, do you?"

His smile widened, "Maybe... but I only have enough for one. I wasn't expecting to have company on this lovely trip to go see Mr Potter."

Hermione stared at him and carefully lifted her arm, palm up. Expecting. He was raised to be a gentleman, right? Even if he never proved that theory to be true.

"And why should I give this to you?" she mumbled something under her breath in response. "Oh, I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. Can you repeat that again, a little louder this time?"

His smile was now gone, replaced by the signature smirk she had grown used to seeing over the years. She knew that after her episode earlier that apparating was completely out of the question. She'd probably show up at the wrong destination missing a few limbs and throwing whatever was left in her stomach up.

"Just... please. I need to use the floo system. I'll do anything."

"Would you admit that you were always jealous of my marks in potions being better than yours?"

Hermione sighed in defeat. Even though she was pretty sure it was Snape's doing that made her come second in that class every year, she couldn't deny that he was smart in that department. "Fine. I was always jealous that you had the first place spot. I also seem to recall that you took the title in Divination as well so you should be able to see that you not giving me that powder right now will result in a world of hurt for you."

He merely laughed, "As if you could do much to me."

He handed her the little packet of floo powder before apparating away, leaving her sitting there dumbstruck by his remarkably care-free attitude. He seemed absolutely nothing like the monster in the classroom yesterday. He seemed almost... normal. Hermione shook her head to clear it. It wasn't like he was friendly, no, he loved watching her beg for the powder she was clutching in her hand. He wasn't mean though.

She turned to the floo system and was relieved that she got to use it. However, the moment she got through she kind of wished that she had stayed at the ministry. Professor McGonagall was red in the face and Malfoy was glaring at her, a sneer taking precedence over his facial features. The two turned towards Hermione as she entered the room.

"Ms Granger, how would you feel about working with Mr Malfoy on the prisoner escape case?"

Hermione's eyes flashed between the two of them. She wanted more than anything to help bring in the criminals, especially if they're the ones who are responsible for all the muggle murders; but could she put up with Malfoy long enough to do that? She was still looking wildly between the two.

"Uh, I'm flattered that you'd want me to help but I'm better with working on my own." she said, trying to sound as if this was the best decision.

"Nonsense. You had great intuition today and could be a valuable asset. You both worked together to make a very plausible theory." McGonagall said, "Besides, if you're working on the case then you need to be working under me, otherwise you'd be stuck with the ministry stopping you."

Hermione knew it would be a mistake, she had no idea what kind of mess she was going to get into. She couldn't help it though, the curiosity about why this was happening was driving her crazy. "I don't see too much of an issue with it. On one condition, I still have my every other weekend off."

"Well of course. You'll be doing small sessions for the most part. You wont have to leave the castle, it'll all be much like what Draco has been doing himself since the breakout."

"He's been working on it for that long?"

"Honestly, are you that unobservant? I've helped the ministry round-up all the Death Eaters since they let me walk free. It was one of the conditions since I know all the hideouts and the habits of a lot of them"

Hermione blushed and looked down at her shoes. It did make sense that they would turn to him for answers. Even if it was just fulfil his terms of agreement with the ministry it was a large task. They had barely gotten half of them all rounded up. A lot had run off in the chaos and it left the aurors stretched thin as they did a huge search. Some of course, fled the continent so they had been left to other divisions.

"So it's settled? You two will help out with the case?""

"Yes, we will." Malfoy answered through gritted teeth.

"Alright, well, I need to take care of some paperwork regarding having you two officially on this case so you can go. Oh, and Mr Malfoy, if you would be so kind to fill Ms Granger in on everything that would be lovely."

The two left the room. Only, Hermione wish she'd run out of the room and down the halls before she could hear the hateful words that floated down the hall towards her.

"Great job, Granger. Really, it's so _nice_ of you to help me when you _weren't_ asked by me. Eight o'clock tonight in the library. If you're late I'll let you figure everything out on your own."

Hermione lifted her hand to signal that she had heard him even though she doubted he was looking her way. Tears were prickling slightly behind her eyes. So now that she was going to help him, he was going to go back to being the oh so mean Malfoy she'd known when attending Hogwarts? She could live with that. She'd be the insufferable know-it-all and solve it all without him and lock up all the escaped prisoners the minute she was up to speed.

When the young professor finally made it back to her rooms Ginny was sitting outside.

"Well, someone's finally back. I asked McGonagall where you went and she said to go see Harry just like you did. Why didn't you invite me?"

"It was really last-minute. Originally I was planning on going myself tomorrow or next weekend but I got stuck going with Malfoy and now we're apparently partners in crime. Or law I guess would be the correct term."

The red-head's eyes went wide. "Wait, you're working with Malfoy? So he's not fired?"

"No, quite the opposite actually."

"Did you at least ask him about what he was doing last night?"

"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea..." Hermione started, "He seems really angry about my help on the case. I think he and McGonagall were fighting about it before I showed up. I'm okay with that though. I'll solve the mystery of those muggles if it's the last thing I do. I think I can put up with him for that long, at least."

"So, when's your first 'mission' and what exactly is it?"

"I, uh, I don't think I'm allowed to say anything." Hermione said sheepishly.

"Oh c'mon. Not you too! First Harry, then Ron, and now you."

"Wait, Ron? What is he keeping a secret about?"

"Well... aren't you pregnant?"

"Merlin, No! Why in the world would you think that?"

"All of your talk about dead babies earlier, or kidnapped, or whatever that was before you ran off like a maniac..." Ginny looked at Hermione. "I'm not supposed to know anything about babies, am I? Is that another secret?"

Hermione nodded, "I imagine most people are just learning about this now back the ministry."

Ginny moved from her place on the wall, "Well, I promised Neville I'd help him move his muggle plants into a place with more sunlight. I'll see you tonight, won't I?"

Hermione looked down at her watch. "Maybe. It depends what time I get out at. We can go into town tomorrow though, even if I have to fight to get out there."

Ginny laughed and gave Hermione a smile before skipping off down the hall. Hermione watched her for a moment, amazed at how the girl's mood could change in a second. If she didn't know that this was how Ginny had always acted she would've thought the red-head was pregnant herself. Such an absurd accusation the young woman had come up with.

Hermione entered her room and immediately went to bed, not even bothering to take her robe off.

* * *

Hermione woke up just before dinner. She made herself presentable and headed out. The thought of what the night held was interesting. She could learn so much, things like the Clysse case were only a conversation away. The only issue she could see would have been the unfavourable company she had to spend the night with. If it was with Professor McGonagall or even Blaise- though he showed a slight distaste about almost everyone- she wouldn't be able to find a single flaw in this plan.

There could have been worse company though. Pansy Parkinson came to mind, and sadly so did Ron. He was wonderful, but definitely not somebody you would do research with. Even if he wanted to be an auror at one point she's not sure he'd be well-fitted for the job. On the field work would probably be fine but not any office work.

Dinner had been fairly quiet at the main table. Blaise wore a small smirk as he caught Granger and Malfoy glaring at each other. They turned to their own dinner as he took his seat between them but the tension was still there. He found it amusing that the two were still uncomfortable after being here for over a month. Blaise did notice something though. Since the war they had both changed. Draco had grown even more distant, even to him who he used to be on good terms with. Hermione had lost some of her spunk and grown to be feisty instead. He was almost sure that the two enjoyed the fighting they constantly partook in among themselves.

Hermione meanwhile just sulked, mostly pushing her food around her plate. She still wasn't feeling too well after her episode this morning and the thought of dealing with the man only one seat away from her was not helping her appetite. Why in Merlin's name did she agree to this? For the sake of information? She was starting to believe that it really wasn't worth it.

So she left her meal half eaten on the table and went back to her rooms. Hermione quickly changed into some normal clothes, ditching her robes to dress for comfort in a pair of jeans and an old jumper of Ron's. She grabbed the journal that had the information from the earlier occurrences. Something was still bugging her about the story. Why was only the one woman killed if they it was essentially the same as this?

Even though it was only half past seven, Hermione was out of her room and wandering around the castle. She thought about being early to the library but figured that stalling for a while would be the better option. The least she needed was Malfoy teasing her about her eagerness. If he bothered to show that is. She travelled at a leisure pace, watching as the students around her headed back to their dormitories. The last thing they needed was to be caught by Blaise who was going to do the patrols tonight. Her day had truly been a mess. She threw up at the ministry, talked about marriage and pregnancy with Ginny, witnessed a normal Malfoy, and was now being a secret agent with the man she despised. At least she got some good things out of it. She got to see Harry again, even if they didn't get to catch up.

She showed up to the library with five minutes to spare. Professor Malfoy was nowhere to be seen in the empty room so she moved to her usual seat in a secluded corner. She put the journal down and looked out the window, watching the way the moonlight shone off of the lake. It was a beautiful view that had often given her peace in her years here as a student. It returned the feeling of peace to her as she watched how the small ripples of waves made the reflection seem distorted. On nights with no wind it was as clear as a mirror.

The doors burst in and the pale blond entered, spotting Hermione in the corner of the room.

"Look who showed up." she said monotonously.

"I said eight o'clock, didn't I? Maybe you should stop being early."

Hermione stole a glance at her watch to see it was eight on the dot. "Well, I just didn't think you'd show after you made your displeasure about the arrangement clear."

Malfoy scoffed, "Oh, and you were any better?"

Hermione let a small smile fall over her face. "Why of course, I was being civil and agreed to this, did I not? Besides, I wanted information on the Clysse family and the others who were killed back in 1963. This is the journal I found mentioning the past cases."

Draco picked it up and leafed through it. "Well, you should know what's going on in this case first. As you know, all of the women were married, had a son, and of course were pregnant. Is that all you know?"

"Well, they had the dark mark on their stomachs and so it's believed that the people responsible are some of the prisoners that escaped from Azkaban."

"Well, I don't believe that the children those women were carrying were fathered by their husbands."

Hermione looked at him in astonishment. "And what makes you say that?"

Malfoy held up the journal he was looking through. "You forget what organization I was in. They used this as an example actually, even though halfbloods had been accepted in. In the cases from this time period, the victims were all purebloods that were unfaithful to the ways in the sense that they chose muggle lovers. This resulted in halfblood children which the Death Eaters would have none of. Mrs Clysse was a woman who got pregnant. The dark mark was on her stomach as is the case now. Her muggle lover was never found out so he could still be alive to this day. The other three pairs weren't so lucky. The three men were all killed and branded on their foreheads while the muggle women were killed as well as their children."

"So you think that someone is off killing halfbloods?"

"Exactly. Although one thing doesn't add up. These women weren't ones who seemed like the kind to cheat. That's not out job to solve though. I already talked to Harry and one of the more developed fetuses is going to get a DNA test to see if it matches with both parents.

"That isn't why we're here though. What we need to do is try to find the killer or killers. We don't even know all thirteen who escaped from Azkaban. We do, however, have reason to suspect it was one of them."

"Wait, we don't even know the names of the ones we're looking for?" Hermione said outraged. "This is what I call an impossible job. We can't find something that doesn't have an identity."

"Will you just let me speak?" Malfoy asked through gritted teeth. "There was some rioting in the prison on the day of the breakout. They're still trying to sort out whose dead and whose gone. They only have six confirmed of the thirteen they believe to have broke out. Our job is to track them down and figure out from there if they were the ones committing the murders."

"This is going to take a while isn't it?"

Malfoy looked out the window and nodded curtly. "I've found one that was hiding out in some muggle's basement in London. He's already been arrested though. It took me nearly three weeks to hunt him down and he wasn't even the one to kill them. Whoever is killing the muggles is doing an extremely good job at hiding their tracks. It would be useful if we had a full list so we can separate the Death Eaters from other criminals. After all, only Death Eaters know about those murders back in '63. Well, now a few ministry officials and you know since a former one told you all about it. It had to be someone who knew about it otherwise they wouldn't have known to brand the stomach, or why really. Nobody had ever solved those cases."

Hermione sighed. She didn't have a clue about how to start searching or who to start searching for. She'd need Malfoy's help and there was only way to do it. Hermione Granger was becoming one big mess as she thought about her crazy idea.

"Listen, how long is this going to be exactly?"

"I have no idea, okay? I was fine working on my own before."

"Well... it's just that..."

Malfoy glanced at her and made a hand gesture to tell her to continue.

"It's not going to work out if we're at each others throats all the time."

"Are you suggesting we be friends, Granger?"

Hermione blushed as she saw the smirk on Malfoy's features, dropping her face into her lap. "Not exactly. More like a truce with the pretense of friendship. I'd rather not be worried you'll shoot me and run off."

Malfoy's smirk grew and he let out a chuckle.

"You're scared of me shooting you in the back? You do realize I have no plans to go to Azkaban, right? You could lie easily and say that I threatened you first and get off free. Probably win an award for killing an ex Death Eater. Me on the other hand, I can only escape the law so many times. I wouldn't get so lucky."

There he was again. The light, carefree Malfoy she had seen teasing her back at the ministry. He was neither mean nor nice. It was odd, seeing him so relaxed and making a joke out of how lowly she thought of him.

"Humour me."

"Fine, Hermione." he replied, her name coming off his lips in a purr. "I'll play your little game so long as you find a way to be helpful in this case."

"As you like, Draco." his name felt foreign coming from her but oddly pleasant.

The two set to work, discussing the last seen places of Dake Venir, a Death Eater who had escaped for sure.

She really was a mess. Fraternizing with the enemy as Ron had once said in their fourth year at the Yule Ball. Only this time, the enemy was one of a much more dangerous kind. She really wasn't convinced that her day could get any weirder.

* * *

**Early chapter to celebrate my first month of grade 10 being over. I also have some very good news, we passed 2k views on this story. Thanks to all of you! I happen to really love this chapter and I hope you guys do too!**

**Thoughts? Did you enjoy teasing Draco? How about their little deal? Remember to leave a review!**

**~Aerivia**


	9. What Was The Point?

**Disclaimer: Harry and Ron would've got together.**

* * *

Chapter Nine

What was the Point?

It had been a week of spending time in the library with Draco. The two still bantered but it lacked any malice. They were both trying hard to make the arrangement work but that didn't mean they'd change completely. They argued over some small things but overall the two were trying hard to better company than the other. It was like a game they made. It exhausted her though, trying to keep herself in check when he commented on her thoughts or something as stupid as what shoes she wore. So when the portrait at her door was yelling at her that people were here to see her at just past midnight she wasn't exactly happy about it.

She was in the middle of a giant yawn when the portrait opened to see Professor McGonagall and Professor Malfoy standing in the doorway. She invited them in and saw their well-kept appearances. She resisted the urge to pull her finger through her hair, suddenly feeling underdressed. Why weren't they in their night-clothes?

She took the couch, the other two each taking one of the overly plush chairs across from her.

"So what happened?" she asked, uncomfortable with the silence in the room.

The two looked at each other as McGonagall gave Hermione an incident report. Hermione read it over and then read it again. It didn't make any sense. There was another murder? It was exactly like the rest of them and it was unsettling. Nothing had happened for over a week now and suddenly another family shows up dead.

"Where was this?"

"London." Draco answered, "They seem to be moving in a circular pattern. Only, they moved farther than the last point should have been so we were prepared for them all the way on the other side of the town."

Hermione felt tears behind her eyes yet again as she looked at the innocent, smiling face of the little boy.

"There's more." McGonagall said, handing her another report. "This is one of the DNA tests that came back from the ministry. The other two are still awaiting results and should be here by morning but... it says the father was the husband."

Hermione still had to read it herself. So Draco was wrong? Were these murders really nothing like the ones that had happened years ago? It didn't make sense at all. Why would a Death Eater be slaughtering families of muggles for no reason other than what the family consisted of? It was sick and unjust. It hurt Hermione's head just thinking about the awful reasons monsters would do that. For the thrill of the kill... disgusting.

She handed the two papers back to Professor McGonagall.

"We're back to where we started, aren't we?"

"I'm afraid so."

Hermione let out a giant sigh. All of that hard work only to not be able to protect that innocent child. That was all she had wanted when she agreed to help out. She wouldn't let another sweet, unknowing child die at the hands of those filthy murderers. Yet here she was, empty and useless. She hadn't been able to help, not one bit. She was already a week in and nothing they could do was helping. She felt like giving up.

"Well, you look tired. I want you to work with Draco later today to try to figure out if he's still sticking to this pattern. I'm afraid that it's all we can do for now."

Professor McGonagall lightly pressed her hand to Hermione's shoulder before she left, Draco following behind her. With the room empty, Hermione broke down a bit inside. She felt hallow, like a small child wanting to grow up and be a dinosaur only to be told it was physically impossible. Hermione thought that this case was physically impossible. It appeared that every time they found out something about the case, or got one step ahead, it was all just a fluke.

Hermione grabbed her blanket off of her bed and lit the fireplace. She fell asleep curled up on the couch as she returned to her dreams of silver.

She stopped questioning the weirdness of these dreams a while ago. It had done her no good when she had other things that were worth paying attention to at the moment. Hermione was surprised that her life had returned to being the hectic mess it was since she first stepped foot on the train to Hogwarts. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or if she should be annoyed at the lack of a break.

She trudged over to her bathroom, brushing her teeth meticulously. Her mouth tasted horrible and nothing seemed to be getting rid of it. She pulled her hair away from her face and secured it at the base of her neck. She grabbed a pair of dark jeans and her favourite white shirt, slipping them on and heading back to the common area. The fire had burned until only a small flame remained. Hermione put it out and had just left the room only to be brought into suffocating hug.

"Oh, Hermione! I'm so sorry. I have no idea what got into him." Ginny exclaimed, hugging her best friend tightly to her.

"What are you talking about?"

"He did something he shouldn't have and then he asked me for advice. _Me_! I didn't know what to do so I ran up here with the plan to tell you. I shouldn't have though. I may be angry with him but you have so much to deal with already. The new murder already made the news..."

Hermione shook the girl to get her to be quiet for one second. "Who are you talking about?"

Ginny's eyes floated down to the ring sitting on Hermione's finger. The younger girl gave a huge sigh, already knowing she was in to deep to back out now. She pulled a scrunched up note out of her pocket and handed it over. She kept her eyes down as Hermione read.

_Ginny!_

_I need your help. I did something I shouldn't have and I'm confused. One minute we were celebrating our victory at the local pub and I'd had a few too many butter beers. The next thing I knew I was waking up in the morning wearing nothing but a sheet and Lavender was draped over my chest._

_I don't know what to do. Should I tell Hermione? What would she think? Ginny, you know her. What would you do in her shoes? Would you forgive me? It's not like I meant to. It was an accident, honestly!_

_Ginny... please, help me, your favourite brother,_

_Ron._

Hermione's eyes scanned over the letter again as her hand started to shake. That good-for-nothing child had gone and cheated on her, intentional or not. To make it worse, it was with Lavender. _Lavender_! That woman was without a doubt the bane of Hermione's existence. She was worse than Pansy when it came down to it, at least inside of Hermione's mind.

She barely noticed as Ginny pulled her into a hug whispering meaningless nothings in her ears.

Ron made her promise, as if she was the one who would be the deal breaker. She didn't care if it was intentional. He intentionally got so drunk that he had no idea what he was doing. He was irresponsible. They had never even gotten to that point in their relationship. What hurt her the most wasn't that he did it though. Or that their first times was not each other. It was that he didn't even tell her. He had asked Ginny about her opinions. Was he planning on lying to her?

She pulled Ginny's arms away from her and took a step back.

"I knew it. I shouldn't have told you. I'm so sorry."

"No. You did the right thing." she tried giving a smile to her best friend but even she could tell it was feeble.

Hermione raised her hands to her eyes and wiped away the moisture on her face. She looked down at the small copper ring with the word 'forever' inscribed in it. Se took the ring off carefully, a brief thought of throwing it out the window occurred to her. He had to of still loved her to ask advice, right? She hoped it was true and shoved the ring into her pocket. She didn't know why she held on to it. There was no reason to. He had broken the promise himself. There was no point in waiting on him any longer if he was going to be so reckless. Even if he did still love her it was a painful reminder that the bond between had been so easy for him to break.

She handed the note back to Ginny and told her to respond however she wanted.

"Why don't you reply?"

"I'll wait for my letter."

Ginny recognized the sad smile that Hermione wore. It was the same one that had been on her face at Fred's funeral when everyone had talked about how even though his life was short it was well-lived. It was smile that revealed the sadness that came with the end of something wonderful and the hope that it had been a good run despite it's faults.

Ginny nearly started crying herself. She knew her best friend more than she knew herself sometimes and she just knew that Hermione was clinging to whatever could be salvaged of their relationship. Ginny didn't believe that her brother deserved it.

With one small wave Hermione was gone, fleeing the scene that had brought around a new bad memory.

* * *

Hermione found herself at the lake. Even though the skies looked stormy and wind made little waves on the water she couldn't help but admire the beauty of it. It was all chopped up, crashing against the shoreline which was jagged in some places. It was funny how the lake seemed to know her thoughts and responded to them in an proper way. She took a seat just outside the reach of the waves. It took her a few minutes of staring at the water to realize that she was remarkably calm about the whole ordeal.

She was shocked, yes. She was also hurt, but she didn't feel the supposed heart-shattering pain that characters from a novel felt. Mostly she felt humiliated. She felt as if she wasn't good enough for Ronald Weasley and that set off a spark of anger in her but it wasn't directed at him. It was towards herself. She knew she wasn't to blame, but a part of her, one buried deep down, couldn't help but point out her flaws and how she had forced this upon herself. It questioned if her decision to come teach was the right one. If they gave each other too much freedom. If maybe he didn't find her physically appealing. Her much more reasonable brain had fought in her favour, yelling at the dark part of her that it was out of both of their control.

It was there that he found her, listening to the inner turmoil of heart and mind as she contemplated the meaning of her seemingly empty life. She was staring out at the water as the waves got higher and more violent as the storm rolled even closer in. She didn't hear him approach and he didn't comment on her red eyes.

"Hermione."

She turned around at the sound of his voice, ready to tell him to leave her alone when memories of last night stormed back through he mind, effectively shutting the whirlwind in her mind up for a moment. That's right, she was supposed to meet him at the library to go over the new information today.

"Sorry." she murmured, her voice so soft she was worried her hadn't heard her. Louder this time she said, "So, Draco, what brings you down here?"

"These came in early this morning." he said in response, holding up a folder. "Merlin, Hermione, aren't you freezing out here?"

She looked down at her arms and saw them looking awfully pale and covered with goosebumps. At the notice of the temperature she stood up, shaking half from discomfort in her stiff limbs and half from the cold. She didn't argue as Draco handed her his coat and led her inside.

"You can't afford to be sick right now." he said, continuing to lead her through the castle and to the library. In her little corner were multiple newspaper articles and there was one on top that made her stop. "The case from last night already made it into the news. The public still doesn't know any details. This is why you can't get sick. We have to figure all of this out."

He took his seat in the same one he'd occupied since the day of their truce. She shrugged his jacket off and handed it to him as she took her seat, for once happy that the room was overly warm. She didn't realize just how chilled to the bone she had been. The warmth spreading through her almost felt like little needles pricking at her skin. She took a seat and read over the article about the murder last night. All of the information was still omitted and speculations still being made about the killer.

She looked up to see Draco, his eyes darting back and forth between the two papers he held.

"Draco, what's wrong?"

He held up one slim finger, glancing down at the last paper. That pushed him over the edge as his eyes bulged out of his head and he turned even paler.

"That sick bastard." she heard him mutter as he dropped the two papers he was holding in favour of the one in front of him. He continued to curse under her breath before meeting Hermione's curious eyes.

"These women weren't faithful to their husbands."

Hermione looked astonished at this. "But the first one-"

"The first one was a fluke. She was probably just knocked up by her husband first. I suspect that she was indeed unfaithful, but whether it was consensual is a completely different conversation that we wont know the answer to."

She hung on every word, trying to comprehend what he was saying. She was generally interested in the topic. Just this morning the women were loyal but now evidence had come to support Draco's original theory of them having pureblood mates. What did he mean about it being consensual? These women couldn't have been raped, could they?

"These other two pregnancies were not by their husbands. It was however by someone whose DNA is currently in the system as he's in Azkaban. He's already been accounted for since the riot as well."

"Great, so he's not our killer. Maybe he'll know who is?"

"He's dead. His name is Monli Getain and he was one of the prisoner's killed in the riot. However, I don't think he was rioting. He was always more on the reserved side when it came down to things. He only worked for the Dark Lord out of fear and nothing more. He normally avoided all conflict." Draco began slowly, "I would like to see the body but last I heard, they were still trying to get the prisoner's to quit the riot already and give up."

"Does this mean we came to another pointless conclusion? What can a dead man tell us?" Hermione was starting to get annoyed at the lack of concrete evidence. Most of what they'd done was theorizing and it definitely wasn't doing them any good. They kept being plausible, then false, the plausible again to the point where Hermione's head was spinning.

Nothing about this case was making any sense at all anymore. They were unfaithful, they weren't. They were pregnant. Supposedly, escaped Death Eaters were responsible for these horrific events. It had also happened once before but it still didn't make much sense then either. There was no point. It was all for fun it appeared. Wouldn't they prefer a halfblood over a mudblood such as herself? Why not just kill any muggles who showed magical prowess?

"If he has the dark mark on his forehead then it was definitely a Death Eater. There's another body that needs to be examined by me in particular so we can both go and do that the minute it quiets down."

"We?"

Draco's smirk lit up his face. "And here I was under the impression that we were partners in crime, working under the pretence of a false friendship for the past week. Are you going to abandon me and break your truce?"

His eyes drifted to the tabletop where Hermione was rubbing the finger that the ring had been on. He didn't mention the absence though as she stuffed her hands under the table. She still remembered Draco teasing her about the object, saying that even 'weaselbee' could do better than that.

"Fine. We'll both go, on one condition."

"Another condition, Granger? First it was letting you work with me, then out false friendship... what else could you want from me?"

"I want to find the location of at least one escaped convict before we leave. Even if we leave tomorrow, we'll be able to find a site."

"Fine."

So the two worked. They slaved all day in the musty room. Hermione casting minor tracking spells that would say if they were in the country or not while Draco cross referenced the escapees with hospitals and banks to see if any of them had sought help. It wasn't until Hermione had given up and headed off to bed that Draco really did his research. So long as the wearer was not trained in occlumency he could use the dark mark much the same way the Dark Lord himself had used it. It took him weeks of practice to perfect it but now he could see into the minds of the Death Eaters.

Only one thought stood out. There was a party being held in honour of the murderer. Whoever he was would be there in a month's time to celebrate with those who shared his views.

And Draco had plans to crash it.

* * *

ahhh, finally. We get to see some more. Sorry this wasn't posted in the morning! I was studying for my two back to back tests. Feel pretty confident about Science... civics on the other hand aint sitting well.

Anyone like horrible boyfriend Ron? I promise, he'll go back to being a nice guy. I love Ron, just I find him a little too... loose for Hermione. She's pretty rules and structure while he's freedom and winging it.


	10. Mass Confusion

**Disclaimer: Neville would've been the star of the show. He's just adorable.**

* * *

Her Lucky Break

Mass Confusion

The first day of October fell on a chilly Tuesday. The sun had hidden behind some dark clouds for they day, signalling yet another storm was going to hit. Hermione was sitting at her desk rereading a letter Draco had given her that morning at breakfast. They had gotten the okay to visit Azkaban the upcoming weekend as the rioters were finally all rounded up and returned to their cells. She wasn't exactly ready to go there but they needed to see Monli Getain's corpse for the dark mark.

When she got to her classroom that morning a letter from Ron was waiting on her desk and she felt the ring in her pocket like it was red hot, burning through her pockets and into her skin. Even after sleeping she still didn't feel all that bad about the rocky state of their relationship. Was she ready to forgive him? No, but she wasn't facing the huge dramatic pain movies and books had predicted she'd feel. It actually wasn't much worse than when she was jealous of Lavender back when she was dating Ron. She wasn't ready to hear his explanations to her though. Maybe that's what would make it all real, make it hurt.

Shoving the dreaded letter into her bag she returned her focus to the class who, for the most part, were steadily working on their project. Some were finished early. She was having trouble keeping up with how fast some of them were finishing their work. She wondered how some of the teachers in her past had dealt with her. Normally she'd just read or do something for another class but these guys preferred to socialize amongst one another.

Jasper was talking to a few other Slytherins and a Ravenclaw in the furthest corner.

"I don't understand why they need the age restriction. I mean, what are we going to do? Get lost in a sweet shop?" Jasper complained.

"Well, we just aren't considered mature enough to wander around on our own out there. It's not like they have some personal vendetta."

"It's not like anything bad is going to happen to us. We're not one of the muggles being murdered." another Slytherin boy chimed in.

Jasper was silent now and looking down at his shoes. Hermione looked away, instead focusing on her own pile of things that needed to be marked. She had barely passed the halfway mark when a quiet voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Professor Granger?"

"Yes?"

"May I be excused to go to the washroom?" Jasper asked.

Hermione nodded and returned to her work, devoted to getting it done before her next class started. She was so immersed that she didn't notice the time until the shrill shriek of the bell resounded through the room. She said goodbye to her class and welcomed the new one as they sat down in their seats. She started the lesson to the older N.E.W.T. students about vanishing and conjuration. She was almost disappointed when the lesson was over and awestruck as her day flew by faster than ever.

When Hermione joined the head table for dinner she was one of the last to arrive. She took her seat only to be caught up in a conversation with the two to her right and the man on her left.

"I'm telling you, I haven't seen him since Friday last week. I was supposed to have him last period."

"I had him in class yesterday and he was acting fine. I've never had him skip a class before, even though he calls it dull and complains about his plants dying."

"Neither have I. That's why it worries me." the potions master said with an odd look on his face.

The dark arts professor turned to Hermione as she sat down.

"You haven't happened to see Jasper today, did you?"

Hermione looked at Blaise quizzically as if he'd grown a second head. "Of course, I had him first thing this morning. He was one of the few people who handed in the assignment I gave them early. He seemed quite proud of it actually..."

Draco was staring intently at her as if she was missing the point. In all truth, she was. Did she seriously not understand why they were questioning her? "Did you see him after that?"

Hermione thought hard back on her first class that felt like forever ago.

"He asked to go to the bathroom towards the end of class. Why?"

"He skipped the rest of the day. If he doesn't have a valid excuse then he has to serve detention with me tonight. He didn't even show for dinner." Draco said, motioning to the table. The familiar dark-haired boy was nowhere in sight in the great hall. "It's not like him..."

"Do you suggest we look for him then?"

Blaise nodded as if to say he was up for the idea. "I can ask Madame Pomfrey." The young man left without another glance in their direction.

"'I'll check the Slytherin common room and the bathrooms. Hermione, can you check the Library and the halls on the eastern side?" after receiving a nod he moved on to Neville, "I need you to stay here until dinner ends in case he shows up later. Check the west halls after, I imagine Blaise will be there."

The group split and began searching for him. It wasn't something that was particularly necessary. After all, where could he have gone? They're an alarm for students who try and leave school grounds without permission. They installed it after Harry kept sneaking out with the invisibility cloak. They didn't really have any reason to search for Jasper either, at least most of them didn't. Only Draco had watched out for him since he didn't want him to grow up like him and Hermione was looking since the two had grown quite close. They checked top to bottom in all the regular hiding places, ones that they had discovered as students themselves. The library was empty as was the bathrooms. Jasper didn't show up for dinner and Madame Pomfrey had not seen the boy all day.

Hermione was freaking out at this point. When they had all met back up outside of the great hall and shared their lack of discoveries she started to worry. It wasn't like Jasper to just disappear. He had grown to be quite bubbly and attentive in class. Still a little brash but over all only displayed the positive traits a Slytherin is known to posses. Running away was not one of them.

Draco otherwise wasn't too worried. He cared for the boy more than he cared for anyone else at the school besides maybe Blaise, but he wasn't worried. More so frustrated and it showed as people made sure to stay arms length away from him. It was just their luck that a student would go missing in this giant castle of a school. They'd probably have more luck finding him in a muggle mall.

He wasn't exactly sure why he cared so much for the small boy either. He wasn't much different than Draco was at his age when he first arrived at the school. He had been superior and was sure to flaunt it. Only, the world was already on the fast track to changing. Purebloods' statuses were beginning to be irrelevant. Slang such as 'mudblood' was becoming a word that everyone despised and found socially unacceptable. Did it stop Draco? No. He was raised with certain views and they wouldn't change overnight. He was working on it though. He just didn't want to see Jasper grow up and have to change his whole lifestyle when he was older and already well-adjusted.

Truth be told, Draco had pushed the new ideals that the world had upon the younger students. Nobody should have to go through all that he did. Being dragged into the work of the Dark Lord. Being assigned a task while it was already known he would fail. Only accepting it to keep his family safe but unfortunately they were taken from him in the end. Switching sides wasn't good enough to keep his parents out of Azkaban. A lot of the children were facing this dilemma. The only people they had thought they could count on had been ripped right out from under them. Any standing they had socially was also taken away as nobody wanted to associate with them. Getting back an influence on this new world was proving to be a troublesome task as Draco worked to right the Malfoy name.

He wanted the new generation to restore the good name of Slytherin as well as that of their families.

It was the least he could do to make up for his crimes.

That's why he wanted to find Jasper so badly. The boy had been the best example that change was possible. That the wizarding world would be fixed.

So the quartet of the youngest Hogwarts professors stood in the middle of the hall looking like a bunch of idiots. They didn't have a clue as to where the student had gone to. They thought of asking the older teachers for help but they quickly shot that idea down. They'd probably just leave the idea alone, saying that he wasn't missing until he was missing from classes tomorrow too.

"Maybe we shouldn't look until then. He might of just gone somewhere to sleep." Neville said, trying to be optimistic.

"Yeah." Blaise agreed.

"Neville, you'll tell us if he's in class tomorrow, right?"

Draco drowned out the rest of their conversation, already heading back to his rooms. Maybe they were right. Maybe there was nothing to worry about. If only his luck was that good. When he opened his portrait he was met by sobbing.

Sitting on the black sofa in his common room was the 'missing' boy.

"Jasper! How the hell did you get in here?"

* * *

Hermione had a mug of hot chocolate in her hand, Crookshanks on her lap, and a pile of work to to graded on the table in front of her. Overall she was feeling pretty good of the already marked pile. The classes she taught were doing remarkably well in her class. She felt a certain amount of pride over helping these minds become adjusted to new things. She absently stroked Crookshanks' head while reading over a paper on the uses of being an animagus that a third year had turned in.

She was halfway through when her portrait person called for her attention.

"You have visitors!"

Hermione was confused for a second. It was past curfew so it couldn't be a student. The only people she could think of that would visit her at this time of night were Professor McGonagall and Draco about a new development in the case. She gave an annoyed sigh as she stood up. Surely he could handle it himself, he was capable. He told her so many times.

She was slightly surprised by the scene she saw when she opened the door. Draco was there, looking awfully uncomfortable but that probably had something to do about the young boy who was standing half behind him crying quietly. The black hair and green tie was all she needed to know that it was Jasper.

"May we come in?" Draco asked through slightly gritted teeth.

Hermione motioned them in while studying Draco. Yes, he was uncomfortable but it was a mask. Underneath she could see rage written clearly through his features, smouldering beneath the surface. Something had definitely gotten him worked up and it worried her. Did Jasper do something to upset Draco? Where did he find him anyway? Was he doing something offensive?

She summoned up another hot chocolate and offered it to Jasper as he sat down in a chair. He took it and looked at her through tear filled eyes. She gave him a small smile before joining Draco over in the far corner of the room.

"Listen, something important came up and he's in no state to go back to the dormitories. I'll explain everything later if he doesn't first but I'm asking you to keep an eye on him for the night. I have other things I need to do."

Hermione didn't even notice all the vagueness as she looked over at the small boy. He looked almost... broken. It was no wonder that he wanted her to look after him.

What could have done that to him?

"Do you promise to explain everything later?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. Just, don't push him to tell you. I know you like to get information out of people at almost any cost." he gave a small smirk at her, "He should be fine in the morning to go to class."

Hermione watched Draco leave her rooms, a look of concern briefly flashing over his face. Hermione found it odd to see him caring so much for someone else. Sure, it was a nice change and she wasn't going to complain but it still seemed weird.

She moved to sit back across from Jasper and continue on with her activities. Crookshanks had disappeared when the two males entered her room and was probably hiding under Hermione's bed. She worked through the pile of work, occasionally sneaking a glance up at the boy across from her who remained silent. The tears had stopped rolling down his face but his eyes were still red and were looking straight forward, empty.

She made up her bed and tugged him into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He complied but it was all robotic, as if he wasn't even realizing what he was doing. She took his robe off but left his clothes underneath on as she tucked him into her bed. He may be eleven years old but he looked so helpless and frail at this moment that he didn't seem older than six.

She left the door open a crack as she returned to the couch. She shoved all the now marked papers into he bag. She noticed Ron's letter sticking out.

It wasn't right of her to not even be that angry about it but still refuse to respond to him. He meant a lot to her and she hoped that it was a mutual feeling. They were best friends who had attempted to take things further. She pulled the ring out of her pocket and held it in her hand as she reached for the letter.

_Dear Hermione_

_I'm so sorry. I never meant for anything to happen. I wasn't in my right mind I wish I could take it all back. Ginny already chewed me out, as did Lavender when I told her what a mistake it was that we slept together. I know it was a mistake. I can't even begin to think of how much this had to of hurt you._

_I would never hurt you, you know that. Please, please just say that you'll take me back._

_I can't live without you 'Mione._

_Ron_

Hermione felt the tears streaming lightly down her face as she read the letter. It occurred to her that she wasn't angry or sad, these tears were tears of disappointment. Ron had been so sweet in his letter, as sweet as he could be... but she didn't feel any different. She still didn't want to forgive Ron and go back to being a happy couple.

It just didn't feel right.

She couldn't figure out why she didn't want to return to it though. They had been so happy together and had honestly enjoyed their time together. That's why when she wrote her response she was surprised at her own reply. Her heart already knew all the answers to her questions even if her mind didn't.

_Ron,_

_I'm sorry too. I should have realized this sooner but I don't think it was working out. I'm not even talking about your actions with Lavender, we were having problems before that even if they weren't all that obvious. I think we were living in a fool's paradise. We both wanted something more but I don't think we could fill it with each other. We're best friends so of course I forgive you. I just hope you can forgive me for letting it go on like this for so long. It wasn't really fair to either of us. _

_We're friends and that's all we should have ever been. I hope you find another girl to suit your needs._

_I miss you, best friend._

_Hermione._

She was confused reading it over. She thought about it as she stuck it into an envelope, signalling the end of anything more by dropping the copper ring into it with the parchment. Even though they were dating it was always like a friendship with kisses and hand holding. Sure they loved each other but not in an amorous way. As clichéd as it is, they loved each other but were not in love with each other. The realization hurt slightly but not as much as she thought it would've.

She sat there for a moment in the utter silence of the room drying her tears off of her face. A small smile was on her lips when she felt a huge weight lift off of her. She hadn't even realized it was there until now. She enjoyed the silence, sipping from her now cold hot chocolate as she watched the fire.

She was alarmed when a loud sob disrupted the quietness as Jasper came running out of her room.

"I-i forg-g-got to t-tell Drac-co something!" he managed around his sobs.

"About what?" Hermione asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. The young boys eyes were wild and uncontrolled and for once she had no idea what to do to solve this problem.

"My dad." he sobs got louder before he covered his mouth to stifle them.

Hermione waited patiently for the boy to calm down. He kept muttering 'he needs to know' through his sobs but Hermione wasn't going to let him leave this room on his own, not until she told him exactly what was so wrong. She hadn't seen a boy react like this ever. Even Harry after Sirius died hadn't behaved in such an unmanageable way and it was terrifying.

When he finally calmed down enough to speak, Hermione wished that he hadn't.

"Monli used the imperious curse on those muggle women."

Jasper resumed crying but Hermione didn't notice. Her mind was racing at a thousand thoughts per second. Monli. That sicko had controlled the women. She picked up the mug she was drinking from and without thinking threw it at the wall. She was past angry, she was past pissed. She was at a whole new level. She had enough rage in her that it was consuming her very being and she knew she must look wild; must look like a monster.

She let of a string of choice words as angry tears flowed out of her eyes. She ignore the fact that all she could do recently was cry, instead focused on trying to calm down. One look at the young boy who was scared stiff of her was all it took. She fell to her knees in front of him and hugged him as tight as she could. Tighter than her mom did when her grandmother died before she came to Hogwarts.

"I want you to stay here. I'm going to go tell Draco, alright? I promise, I'll be right back." Hermione managed in a sing song sweet voice. She amazed even herself sometimes as she was still furious. She had enough fury inside of her at the simple sentence that it was pouring out of her in waves.

She got up and fled from the room, knowing just where to find the white-blond man. She ran through the halls, arriving to the library in a new record time. She wasn't ready for the sight she saw though.

Draco was there with his sleeve rolled u past his forearm, wand to the mark on his otherwise flawless skin. His eyes were unfocused as if he wasn't actually there.

Hermione knew this wasn't a good sign. Draco was working for them! She let out an ear shattering scream as she felt fear coursing through her veins, mixing with the anger.

* * *

**So, 3000 views. Thanks to all of you! 650 of them came in the last 4 days.**

**IAmCalypso- You are 100% right, they do have it on the forearm. It's only when they guys were killed that they placed a 2nd one (more like a brand) into the forehead to identify them as someone who either a pureblood slept with and resulted in a pregnancy or they slept with a pureblood and got the same results. I hope this cleared that up for you. In the same light, women would get it on the stomach where they child was carried.**


	11. Secrets and Fear

Disclaimer: I'm not that creative.

* * *

Her Lucky Break

Secrets and Fears

Draco's eyes came into focus at the sound of her screaming and he yanked his robe sleeve into place looking for the danger. The woman before him had a feral look around her and he barely got his wand up to deflect a spell she fired off at him. It took him a second to realize that she had seen him reading in on the Death Eaters and had jumped to a reasonable conclusion. Even though it she had the wrong idea.

"Wait! You don't know what's going on!" he pleaded.

"Yes, I do!" she yelled sending another bolt of magic in his direction. "You're a traitor! You're helping your dear fellow Death Eaters. And to think I trusted you!"

He dodged her attacks again, letting an expelliarmus off in her direction. It was useless against the smart witch though. In her current state of mind she was ferocious. Her thoughts and rationality had apparently abandoned her, leaving her with animal like instincts. She was quick to diminish the spell and launched her own attack with such speed it was unreal.

Draco had a hard time keeping up and he was trained for magical combat.

Hermione on the other hand had full control over what she was doing. She knew only a few things. Draco Malfoy had used his dark mark to likely summon other Death Eaters. Draco Malfoy had infiltrated not only Hogwarts but the ministry as he worked on this case. Draco Malfoy had not only pretended to be her friend but she had started to trust him; had started to believe hat he was truly changing. Draco Malfoy was a lie.

She hated liars.

She shot off every spell she could think of, not even noticing his lack of participation in the fight. No, not lack of participation, lack of aggression. He was on defensive mood, only blocking her spells and trying to disarm her. She didn't care though. She didn't even want to notice this fact. She only wanted to see him hurt since he had hurt her.

Draco dodged behind a bookshelf, running through the maze they created so he could take a breath.

"Malfoy!"

Even in her delirious state he doubted that she would ruin all these books and the knowledge that they contained so he moved further back until he was sure he could speak without randomly being shot at.

"Let me explain!"

"There's nothing to explain! You cheated your way into the system!" she cried running through the maze of books.

"No! I didn't! I'm helping you."

"I won't fall for it again." she said spotting him.

He tried casting pertificus on her but she managed to avoid it. Instead the spell hit the bookshelf with enough impact to make it wobble. He stopped mid-turn and watched horrified as it started to topple. He thought without reasoning first and launched himself towards Hermione, toppling them both over and away from the falling shelves.

Well, mostly.

"Fuck." Draco yelled as the edge of the bookcase landed on his ankle. He tried to tug it out but it wasn't working. He searched for his wand only to find it resting beside a now standing Granger.

"This is the last time you'll do something like that, Malfoy." she spat.

She raised her wand, not even realizing what she intended to do. She was furious with being tricked so easily. Her mouth had just started to form the two little words when a third person yelled out "Expelliarmus!"

Hermione was stunned as her wand flew out of her hand and landed a few feet away. She turned to the new person and immediately felt ashamed of what she was about to do. Standing before her was Professor McGonagall who did not look very pleased at all.

"What in Merlin's name is going on in here?" she yelled, looking at the chaotic scene in front of her.

Hermione was red in the face as still glaring intently at Draco as tears threatened to fall down her face again and her hands were in fists at her side as if she was ready to use them to beat him to death.

"She attacked me!"

"He's calling the Death Eaters!" they both yelled at the same time.

McGonagall sighed and levitated the bookshelf off of Draco, walking over to check on his ankle. Concluding that it was just going to be badly bruised since a book cushioned it. Draco on the other hand wasn't convinced that it wasn't life threatening and was muttering that Hermione was crazy.

"Seriously, Granger. What were you thinking?" he spat out, nursing his injury.

"What was _I_ thinking? _You're_ a traitor, that's what!"

She had her wand back in her hand and was pointing it at him. She didn't do anything though, knowing that Professor McGonagall could handle him if need be.

"Enough. Draco, explain what's happening."

"I was mind scrying and Granger here apparently thought I was trying to contact them and started attacking me. It's not my fault that I can't do it in the privacy of my own rooms. Damn ministry putting magic blocking spells all over the place. They're not the only ones who seem to think that I'm not trustworthy though." he said sending a purposeful glare in the direction of one bushy haired girl.

Professor McGonagall just nodded as she expected that was the case. Draco had already confided in her about his special little talent that helped him to find the criminals. "Did you learn anything interesting?"

"Sort of. Actually, I learnt it from someone else and was checking into it."

"Wait. So, he's not a... 'bad' guy?" Hermione said looking extremely guilty as she lowered her wand. To think that she was about to use one of the unforgivable curses in her fit of rage!

"God, Granger. Couldn't you tell when I pushed you out-of-the-way?"

She gave a small sheepish grin.

"No, Professor Malfoy is probably our best asset in solving this case in fact. Not only does he already know how they think but he can get into their thoughts. Not everyone's, but enough that helps significantly. It's kind of our little secret for now though. We don't know how the ministry would react to such a skill." Professor McGonagall said scanning the room. "We should probably fix this mess the two of you have created so Madame Pince doesn't have a cow."

So the three of them righted the room, Draco and Hermione working on two completely different ends of the room to avoid each other. Hermione was ashamed of her action and how she had immediately jumped to such an irrational conclusion, even if it was fairly likely. He did change sides a few times in the war... but he had no reason to change now. Draco on the other hand was annoyed that she thought so lowly of him and was ready to yell at her for doing so, only McGonagall's warning looks stop him from doing just that. After the three of them had made the room look the same as it did before they grabbed a few chairs and took their seats in an odd three-pointed circle.

"So, let's start by clearing up the confusion that caused this scene."

"Well, I want to know what in the world she thought she was doing! She could have killed me!" Draco said, sending a pointed glare at Hermione who was bright red.

"I thought you were working with them. What exactly were you going anyway?"

"Well, I used to watch the Dark Lord call all the Death Eaters with the mark." he started slowly, to anybody he would seem almost bored with the conversation but in reality he was trying to figure out how to word it. "After the end of the war, my family was taken to Azkaban but I was let go for reasons that really don't concern you Granger. Anyway they asked for my help in finding some of the ones who still hadn't been caught as I knew the way they thought. They were all minor Death Eaters who didn't even earn the mark.

"However, we stumbled across one very unlucky predicament when thirteen criminals escaped from Azkaban. When I was told to help them find these new additions and was given the first list I noticed that some of them were actually part of the Dark Lord's inner group. They actually had the mark. I was originally just trying to see if I could sense them, to find out where they were but it wasn't working. I kept trying though, trying to find them while not exposing who or where I was. One day it just happened, I got into the mind of one of them. I got to hear their thoughts. I imagined that that's why the Dark Lord didn't have one himself but then one name popped up on my list and I found out that those trained in occulemency contained minds I couldn't get into."

"So that's how you were finding all of them? By looking into their mind?" Hermione asked. She was sitting on the edge of her seat, intrigued by all the new information that he was giving her.

"Yeah."

"So, what were you looking for?" McGonagall asked Draco.

"Well, Jasper, the first year from my house, confided in me about some very serious information. When I came back to my rooms this evening he was there and told me everything about Monli's personal life. Apparently Jasper is his son and another of the escaped convicts is his uncle, Caleb Getain."

"Well, that is quite troubling. You don't think he's going to try to associate with his uncle, do you?"

Draco shook his head. "No, he seemed to be terrified of him. It worries me though. He knew that Caleb was out of prison. I know he got a letter about his father's death, I got one about a family member too but I never received one about my father-"

"Your father?"

Draco handed Hermione the list that she had yet to see. They just kept hunting down whatever ones Draco decided were worthy to look for. At the top of the list was Lucius Malfoy written in a clear script. Why would he keep this from her?

"-so I can't imagine him getting one about his uncle."

"Yes, that is concerning. You think they already got into contact with him then?"

"I honestly don't know. I was hoping to find Caleb's mind and check but she got the wrong idea and attacked me. I'll never let you live that one down, Granger. You could have killed me with your carelessness."

Hermione looked down as she felt her face heat up. It wasn't really a question of if she would, she'd already decided that she was going to kill him and had started saying the two little words. She wasn't going to correct him though. He'd probably kill her himself for such a stunt. "I really am sorry."

Draco looked at her for a second longer before returning his attention to Professor McGonagall. "I don't think we should be too worried if Caleb's had contact with him yet. His brother is among the possible victims and I don't think he would kill his own brother for dirtying the bloodline. We wont know anything until we go..."

"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked, it wasn't like a Malfoy to trail off and lose his train of thought.

"No, I just forgot to mention something a found out the other night. They're having a celebration in honour of the killer. A costume ball of sorts. I'm not sure where yet, just that it's in a month and that he's supposed to make an appearance as the guest of honour."

"We should contact the aurors about this. They'll want to attend and surround the place to catch him right there and then." McGonagall suggested.

Draco shook his head, "No, they'll be expecting that. It's easier if we send in a few people to monitor the event from the inside. Then we may get to see the culprit and hunt him down while knowing his identity."

"Why wait? We can get him off the streets that night!" Hermione protested, "It's not worth waiting!"

"Hold it, Granger. There's no guarantee that he will even be there so why would we waste all the energy and resources when we can plan ahead? It'll be easier once we get a face and name to go after."

"Why wouldn't he show up?"

Draco let out an annoyed huff, "Because we might be alerted to it so why would he show up only to be stopped?"

Hermione looked away again. She understood his logic but she didn't want to wait. She didn't want this monster to have another chance to hurt these families, even if Monli... Hermione let out an outraged cry and covered her mouth to stop the disgust.

"Miss Granger, what's wrong?"

"Monli..." she felt sick, sicker than she did when she first heard the news of his magic use. Sicker than when she first found out that those woman were pregnant. The two others in the room waited patiently for her to compose herself.

"Monli used the imperious curse on those woman who bore his children."

Draco let out a long string of curse words, standing up abruptly and walking over to a window. "Are you sure?"

Hermione nodded. "Jasper said that his dad had used it on them."

"That sick bastard. If he wasn't already a rotting corpse in Azkaban I'd kill him myself."

Hermione saw the fire snapping behind the man's silver eyes when he turned to face them again. Hermione shrank back as fear flooded through her veins. She was reminded of the night that he trashed the classroom but that was nothing compared to now. Now, he was outraged enough that he could destroy a whole town in a single spell. He could obliterate all of London with just a glance and it terrified her to see that much raw anger swimming in him, ready to boil over. She jumped when he slammed his fist into the table nearby, tears pooling in her own irises.

"Draco..." McGonagall's soft voice cut through the silence like music.

He looked down to his feet but his body was still shaking, his hands balled into fists at his sides. Hermione had never seen this side of him and looked away, not wanting to witness his breakdown when he normally seemed so well put together.

"Those... those kids weren't from an affair. They were forced to carry his children, it's sick." he muttered, a look of pure horror crossing his features.

McGonagall gave a small cough. She looked equally as disgusted but composed herself. "I need to tell the ministry about these new developments. Keep an eye on Jasper to see if he has any contact with his uncle... I'll see you both in the morning."

McGonagall fled the room with one look back at the two barely of age adults sitting there with varying degrees of disgust and horror etched into their faces. Hermione was sitting still, trying to stop the bile from escaping. Tears were still in her eyes but they weren't falling. She swiped at her eyes before looking up. Draco had returned to looking out the window, and empty expression on his face. He was broken and Hermione could see that. The usual cocky demeanour that had always been present was gone, leaving a shell.

"I'm going to go check on Jasper." she said in a quiet voice. It didn't matter that she had practically whispered it. The room was silent and he had no problem hearing her.

"I'm going too. I.. I want to ask him a few things."

She ignored the hollow sound in his voice and lead the way back to her rooms. It didn't matter though. When they got there Jasper was back in her bed, curled up in a ball with Crookshanks hogging the foot of the bed. His face was still streaked with tears but a small snore was coming from the boy.

She let a small smile fall over her lips and patted the cat's head. She grabbed the blanket from the end of the bed and draped it over Jasper's small form. He snuggled deeper into it and she brushed his hair out of his face. He seemed so innocent when he slept. If not for the sticky streaks across his cheeks she'd think he was completely at peace but he had knowledge that haunted him.

When she entered her common room she found Draco sitting in a chair.

"So he's asleep?"

"Yes. You'll have to ask him tomorrow."

He nodded, staring into the fire that had lit itself when they entered the room. She noticed the small smirk on his face and felt a foreign emotion rise in her. She was glad that emotion was breaking its way back into him. She relaxed a bit knowing that he wasn't going to be a robot anymore.

"Do you want something to drink or eat?"

"No..." he trailed off, looking back into the fire. "I'm sorry for not telling you about my little... 'trick' earlier. I haven't even told the ministry, McGonagall was the only one who knew about it."

"It's alright. I'm sorry for attacking you back there."

"You... you were going to use the killing curse, weren't you?"

"Yes."

He looked at her for a second. "I thought so. For a second I thought I wouldn't have stopped it. I would have let you go through with it. After all, there's nobody left to really miss me besides Blaise. It's not like I wouldn't have deserved it. I'm not really much better than Monli."

She was taken back for a second. Was he being serious right now? He couldn't even begin to compare himself to that monster and yet here he was saying that he was no better. It was such a lie that Hermione was outraged with him. He had helped them this whole time in order to atone for his sins. Somebody would miss him. Jasper, McGonagall, even she would as the white blond man had grown on her.

His smirk came back as he stood up. "Well, I have to return to my rooms. Good night."

He was just walking through the portrait when she answered his confession.

"You're wrong."

He looked back at her and for a second she saw a genuine grin before the portrait closed.

* * *

Over 500 views since I last updated, you awesome people.

So, if you enjoy watching anime I recently found one you should all check out. I wasted my whole night watching it, oops. _The Devil is a Part-Timer _I really enjoyed it and so did my friend so watch it up.

Also, if possible, when you have any concerns about the story comment on your account so I can speak privately with you or leave a name so I can address you in an A/N. I don't really want to call out that Anon but it's more helpful if I can speak to you about those matters through private messages instead of through here. In regards to the guests' comments, I understand where some of them come from and I'll address each one individually.

-She wouldn't be arrested as Draco wouldn't say anything and nobody else was there to witness it. McGonagall also had that staff change very last minute and figured explaining this to Hermione in person would be easier.

-And yes, children shouldn't teach children. These guys were all selected because they excelled in an area and that's really all the criteria there is for a teaching job in the wizarding world. There isn't a college/university to go to teach them this stuff. As for how Hermione dealt with Jasper, she's under a lot of stress due to Draco's presence and the lack of comfort even though the war has ended.

-Lastly, I didn't think Hermione was being a bully, I'm sorry if she came off that way to you. She's freaking out over breaking the rules and the possibility of losing her dream job and stuff like that. It was all guilt over what she did, not further bullying behaviour. I happened to use that specific part of her character for that chapter and didn't find her to be a "murdered" character.

Now, I understand where you came with all of these and I hope I addressed them well enough. They're your opinion and you're allowed to stand by them but in the same light I'm not going to redo it because I happen to think that I followed the characters quite nicely considering all they went through. Keep in mind they're going to change a bit after such a life-changing event like the wizarding war.

Don't forget to leave a review for pathetic Draco c:


	12. Azkaban

Disclaimer: I wish.

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Her Lucky Break

Azkaban

The weekend came much to fast for Hermione's liking. By Friday night she had run out of things to do before her trip with Malfoy. The two had resumed their attitude from the beginning of the year and ceased talking. They were still civil to each other, much to her relief, but they stayed out-of-the-way and only said a word while planning the trip. They'd even gone back to using their surnames to each other, though she believed this was her fault for being so distrustful. He didn't talk about the confession he made a few nights back and she didn't ask. As much as she wanted to know everything going on in his head at the moment there was no way she'd confront him about it. She felt uncomfortable just thinking about prying into his personal life. They may be 'friends' for now but at one point they were enemies and ready to kill each other. One heartfelt talk wasn't going to change the past. Besides, he'd gone back to sulking in a corner and smirking at others misfortune.

It upset her after seeing him in a normal mood for a few weeks.

She didn't sleep well that night. She tossed and turned and woke up nearly every hour. Something about the thought of visiting the prison left her feeling like a bowling ball was in her stomach. When she did sleep all she saw were dementors. They were one of the few things that scared the young witch strictly because of the effect they had. The thought of people being an empty shell after receiving a kiss left her wanting to be sick.

When she met up with Draco just outside of his rooms at the crack of dawn she looked like a zombie. Her eyes were all red and her mouth hung open with near constant yawns. She'd giving up trying to tame her hair after that night and just had a shower before tying it back. Draco on the other hand looked normal as ever, if not slightly paler. Even though his night was even more restless his face and body showed no signs of it.

Hermione was jealous that he could look so well put together at such an early hour. Even when they stepped into the brisk October air he seemed no different. The cold affected him as much as it would a stone yet Hermione found herself wishing she'd warn a warmer jacket. When the light blue carriage bearing the symbol of the ministry finally made an appearance Hermione was more than pleased.

Even though the seats were stiff and the material almost rough the inside was warm and coloured to match the sky on a warm summer day. She looked over at Draco once she warmed up to see him picking at a loose thread with almost disgust written on his features. She knew that he still had wealth in his name, even if it wasn't as much as before the war, but he didn't have to be so picky about it. She was about to say as much when her stomach lurched.

Looking out of the small window she saw Hogwarts slowly fading behind them as the flew up. She didn't settle until they levelled out. She may hate apparating the most but flying was still pretty far up her list on transportation methods she didn't enjoy. It wasn't the actual experience, only take off. She loved the view and in a carriage the change in temperature at higher altitudes wasn't noticeable in the slightest.

Draco was sitting comfortably with a book in his hand but a small smirk was visible. The young woman just knew it was directed at her reaction and glared at him. She was trying to burn a hole right through the piece of literature but her gaze couldn't seem to manage that. It did manage to draw his attention to her though.

"See something you like, Granger?" he asked, speaking for the first time all day.

His tone was light, almost teasing but she could hear the tightness and knew that he didn't want to go to the prison anymore than she did. She couldn't blame him. His dad had just escaped, his mum was locked up, and he had nearly been thrown in there with them.

She decided to humour him with a light snort that brought back the look of disgust.

"You are so unladylike."

"Nobody said I had to be a lady around you. And to answer your question, no, I don't see something I like."

"Well that makes two of us." He said pretending to look her up and down.

Hermione felt an angry blush creep over her features. He had the nerve to call her unladylike while he was being the opposite of a gentleman. She realized she spent too long before making another remark and he had returned to the book in his hands. She suppressed a huff of irritation and looked out the window. The carriage grew quiet, the only sounds being pages turned and her small sniffles.

She attempted conversation several times as the flight went on but he was unresponsive, instead choosing to ignore her. She wanted to say it didn't faze her, his indifference, but she'd be lying. After weeks of being awkward friends they had stopped. She didn't realize how lonely she felt when she couldn't talk to anyone. She'd always had someone to talk whether it be Harry or Ron. Now they'd gone off to be an auror and a quidditch player and she was sent back to school. Even then she had Ginny, only they couldn't talk about what Hermione ran off to do in the evening. She was practically sworn to secrecy to keep her extra job under the radar. That left her talking to Draco and the odd time Jasper to gain more information even though there was nothing more she could ask him. She'd milked all she could from the boy and the former had decided to make her invisible to him.

She eventually stopped trying all together, focusing so hard on the passing scenery instead that it became one big, blobbed blur. She still couldn't get rid of the uncomfortable weight pressing down on her stomach. It just seemed to get worse and worse the closer they got to the prison.

The man across from her was also having an odd sinking feeling. The closer they got to the prison the more he wished to just turn around and not have to face the place. By the time Azkaban was a dark blurb in front of them he felt sick in anticipation.

Hermione didn't even notice that they had landed until a guard came over and opened the door. He seemed nervous as the two exited and Hermione had a good guess about why. His eyes kept flicking to anywhere but Draco's face. The guard was older and better built but he was still uncomfortable with the man who wore the Malfoy name proudly. After all, he was the only one who was walking free on the outside even though he was a Death Eater.

"We're here to see the body of Monli Getain." Draco said to the guard not bothered by the fearful look the man was giving him.

"O-of c-course. O-o-officer Li will s-show you." the man stuttered nervously, pointing to a young woman by the entry gates. Draco immediately started sauntering his way towards her. Hermione was slightly awestruck by his composure and 'run the place' attitude he had once again before turning to the frightened man.

"Thanks." she said politely, giving him the most cheerful smile she could manage in such a dreary place.

As she ran to catch up with Draco and Officer Li she noticed just how miserable the place really was. It was dark and damp and crowded. Every floor had quiet little whimpers coming from the prisoners and on one floor there was screaming that was silenced almost immediately after it started. Hermione tried not to shudder, imagining what they could be going through. They were all criminals after all.

The thought offered no comfort to her as they were still human and could only withstand so much torture before breaking. Instead of listening to the cries of the prisoners to the eerie decor of the prison she focused on what shade of blond the male in front of her was. After she came to the conclusion that it was something unique to his family only and not even dye could recreate it she worked on Li's hair colour. She hadn't figured out what black it was when they arrived at the morgue. They travelled to the far end where several bodies were out on metal tables in a long line. They were led to the one at the start of the line before the guard backed away.

Hermione stood in one spot, watching as Draco moved forward and pulled back the cover. She let out a breath of relief, not even noticing that she was holding it. On his forehead, clear as day, was the dark mark scarring his skin. The feeling of relief didn't stay for very long though. It seems the deeper they dived into this story the worse it got. Just exactly how many more women and their families had to die before this all ended? Would it ever end? Would the murderer just continue to kill off all the half-bloods it could find? Would they move onto the older ones who were already fully developed after they ran out of Monli's unborn children?

The young witch didn't even feel sympathy for what happened to Monli. If he was still breathing she would torture him herself. She'd show him just how it felt to be so helpless as somebody else played the role of puppet master. Just looking at his face, cold even in death, she wanted nothing more than to make him pay for his actions to those women. In a way, someone had already done that. The only issue she was really finding with this was that this man was now out killing innocents. Victims of Monli's horrible crimes.

She looked to Draco, trying to read his face for any hint of what might be going through his mind at the moment. She found it blank and it scared her. It made him unpredictable. His eyes were flitting around the room, searching but not really seeing anything. He waved his and Officer Li moved to his side.

"Where's Narcissa Malfoy?"

Hermione was confused for a second. Did he plan on visiting her since they were already here? She guessed it made sense. She just didn't know that he was still in touch with his mother. He hadn't brought up any of his family, almost as if he was ashamed of them.

Her mouth fell open as Li moved to the other side of the room instead of towards the door. Her mind raced as she noticed Draco following her even though he looked almost unwilling. He didn't walk with his normal attitude, instead he was almost shrunken in on himself, as if he wanted to disappear. The change in him was all it took to make the connection.

This wasn't a friendly family visit. He was here to see his mother's body.

Narcissa Malfoy is dead.

Hermione's eyes flash over to Draco's. His face may appear expressionless but he can't stop the emotion spreading to his eyes. They're hallow and dark. They don't change when Officer Li stops next to a metal table and instead stay focused straight ahead. It's only when the cover is pulled down and he looks at his mother's face that he changes the most.

Hermione was about to step forward and offer her condolences but the first tear fell. She watched as Draco grabbed his mom's hand and held it between his, clutching it like it was the only thing keeping him to the earth. Tears were flowing silently and endlessly down his face and Hermione couldn't even look anymore. She turned her eyes away, knowing that this was a private moment. She thought of leaving the room completely but the sounds out in the hall were just as broken as the look on the man in front of her. It seemed Azkaban could suck any happiness out of you without the help of the dementors, even if you weren't a prisoner.

She was always a curious girl though and couldn't stop her eyes from travelling back to the torn family. She took a step forward subconsciously. Something about the scene seemed off. Not Draco's crying, or that his mum was dead while his dad ran around as a fugitive. No, something didn't fit and Hermione just kept moving towards the scene.

She'd wish that she'd stopped herself the minute she did the dreadful act. She'd wish that she could die so she wouldn't have to see the tormented look pass over Draco's face, but she couldn't. She had to know what was wrong.

Draco didn't even look at her as she approached. She wrapped her fingers over the rough covering and slowly pulled it down, discovering more and more of Narcissa's body. She was still wearing the standard outfit but Hermione didn't even notice. She was acting on impulse, not bothering to think of what she was doing. She lifted the hem of Narcissa's shirt and a strangled cry escaped past her mouth.

The sound brought Draco out of his stupor and he followed her gaze.

Hermione didn't think she'd ever heard the man scream. She never wanted to hear such a sound but nothing could block out the awful noise.

* * *

Hermione was sitting as far away from Draco as the small carriage had allowed. Her eyes were watching his every move like a hawk. She couldn't even begin to imagine what must be going through his mind right now.

He is untrusted in the wizarding world. He's currently hunting down his father, an escaped criminal, so he can throw him back into hell. His only other relative is his mother and she was killed. To top it off, she could be one of the victims in their murder case! His life was just falling apart, not that it was held together by much in the start.

The one thing that she couldn't tear her gaze away from was his eyes. Normally so beautiful and shining a bright silver were dull, almost black. They lacked any sign of life and he was really as dead as the woman on the table. The sight of her was burned into Hermione's mind and she couldn't help but compare them. Draco was as motionless as a marble statue. That's what killed Hermione. The man in front of her who had not once showed weakness like this was just a shell. Everything the two of them seemed to work towards was gone. Disintegrated.

She was afraid to even make a noise, scared that he would go off the deep end. She had to try though.

"Draco?"

His eyes turned towards her in acknowledgement but he still seemed distant.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know that-"

"Of course you didn't, Granger. I never told you. Don't you think there was a reason for that? Does it involve you at all?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "Well, it does now."

"No it doesn't." he snarled.

She didn't even care though. As they fought he regained himself. Life was brought back into him and as terrified as she is of him in this moment a surge of pride ran through her veins. "I'm helping you. What if she's a victim?"

"Just back off, Granger. I don't want your pity. She was in Azkaban for her own actions and anything that happened in there should just die with her." He was disappearing again, his response was less aggressive and he had resumed looking out the small window. Hermione wasn't going to give up though.

"But she might be a victim?"

"So? We don't know who the father is. We wont be able to protect him."

"Don't say such a thing! All we'd need is a DNA test. She might not even be pregnant! She could have just been associating with one of them. If she was then we need to catch the man there and then so he can never kill again."

"Like we'd be able to stop him. He'd hunt that man down to the ends of the earth if it means completing his job. He's probably already dead and we just haven't heard about it."

"Draco!"

"I'm not going to sugar coat things for you anymore, princess. I don't even want my name to roll off of those filthy lips of yours. I'm done with your game that our 'friendship' was. You can go back to being besties with Potter, Weasel, and Weaslette."

She turned away, her eyes burning. She wasn't going to cry because he was right. They were just pretending to be friends. That's all it had ever been since that day in the library when they agreed to the silly pact. It still hurt her though, to know that he really hadn't changed at all. She noticed his eyes again. The beautiful silver had hypnotized and were almost welcoming when he smiled. Now they were grey and piercing, trying to severe her head from her body since he found her beneath it. That's what hurt. He had returned to the same man she had feared that first day and she wasn't convinced he would be changing back any time soon.

"Whatever you want, Malfoy."

She grabbed a book out from her bag and began writing down everything she knew so far about the case. She'd solve it herself if he planned on becoming the unhelpful, insufferable git he was before.

* * *

So I spent my thanksgiving watching 24 straight hours of Harry Potter. So many commercials... Anyone else do something fun?

We also passed 4000, we actually got 800 views in the past week, thanks to all you lovelies.

Thoughts on moody Draco?

~Aerivia


	13. Blaise

Over 5,000 views! Enjoy this chapter!

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Her Lucky Break

Blaise

It had been five days since Hermione and Draco's trip to Azkaban. The two had avoided each other like the plague, only in the same room as each other for dinner and occasionally breakfast. Hermione had planned on confronting him but he seemed to just vanish every time she gained the courage. He'd show up and teach his classes before going to dinner and just poof. Gone. Even there searches were brought to a halt and she realized just how hard it was to try to find them without his help. She was hurt that he had just tossed her aside like he did but mostly she was lonely.

It felt awkward to write to Ron, even if they were on what she assumed were good terms. Harry was constantly working on solving some smaller cases. Ginny had other friends her year that she was always with and Neville couldn't be convinced to leave the greenhouse. She realized just how big of a part her friends had in her life after they had all fallen out of contact. She didn't know she could feel so empty. In her first year she didn't have any friends to start so it wasn't so bad. She hadn't had a clue what she was missing out on. Hermione knew now and it was painful.

It almost sickening that she had grown so used to hanging out with Draco. The first night they saw each other she had slapped him and called him a murderer. A little while later he had degraded her and smashed her pride into pieces. She was comfortable with the enemy now. She was missing his company, even if he almost always scowled or teased her. It was mostly in good nature anyway.

She had to give him points for good acting.

She herself had begun to believe that they were actually friends.

That's how she found herself wandering the halls on this particular night. She was exhausted but decided to do a few rounds anyway, knowing that sleep wasn't going to come easily. She didn't even need to cast Lumious, knowing these halls better than the back of her hand. Her eyes scanned the darkness every once and awhile, looking for any students who should be in bed. She couldn't stop her mind from wandering though.

She thought of everything that had happened since the war. She remembered the ceremony for Fred. She remembered the happiness her and Ron had found in each other. The way Harry and Ginny looked at each other with so much love and adoration that it made you feel like you were intruding. How welcoming Arthur and Molly had been to Harry and Hermione staying with them.

She also remembered the bad though. Her and Ron's breakup. How she couldn't undo the obliviate memory charm she had cast on her parents. Seeing Teddy and knowing that one day they'll have to explain what happened to his parents and how much they loved him. The awful look on Draco's face as he became a broken boy.

Hermione didn't want to think about him but she couldn't help it. He'd given her a sense of security and made her feel important when they worked together.

So lost in thought, Hermione didn't even notice as she ran into Blaise. She would've fallen to the floor if he hadn't of grabbed her hand.

"What's got you so lost and travelling without a light?"

"Nothing, really. Just thinking."

"If you wanted to take over my route you could have just asked."

Hermione let a small smile work its way on to her face. "Sorry, I was just roaming around. You can have it back if you'd like."

"Naw, I was just joking. Why don't you join me and get some of these thoughts out of your mind?"

Hermione studied him for a second. In all her years she never really took notice of the Slytherin boy who was Blaise Zabini. He was tall and lean, his eyes inviting you to tempt the snake. Besides his predatory glint his eyes still shone and his smile was warm enough to bring a grin to her face. Something about him just made her relax.

"Sure." she said.

"Coolio." he replied starting to walk the direction Hermione came from. Turning around she followed him. "Shoot."

She remained silent for a moment, prompting him to look at her. "Contrary to popular belief, not all Slytherin's will bite you in the ass and turn your deepest darkest secrets against you."

"Really? I thought it was pretty set in stone. Like a rule."

"I never said I won't, just that not everyone will." he laughed, "Seriously though, everyone seems really down in the dumps lately and nobody's getting their minds probed for answers."

"Well, mine thoughts are mostly about what's going on in those murder cases..."

"Anyone you know?"

"No."

"Well then, don't take it on such a personal level."

Hermione's flash of anger was tangible in the air. "And why not? It could have been my family out there getting killed. All I want to do is stop it from happening to more people. You really are a Slytherin to the bone, not caring if it doesn't involve purebloods. Us muggleborns are just worthless to you all."

He kept walking, choosing to stay quiet as she ranted to him.

"For all you know, it could be a pureblood family next!" she continued.

"It won't."

"And how can you be so sure of that?"

"Because it doesn't fit the pattern. Now will you let me talk?" she waved her hand to say go on. "I never said to just ignore the damn case, just look at it from a professional level. Sure it sucks that these families are being killed in a bloodbath just because... well, it's wrong. I'm not going to deny that. You, however, are too busy trying to protect everyone else because of your personal feelings. You need to let all that go and just focus on how you can solve it."

She pondered over what he said. Let her emotions on the case go. She wasn't sure how she could pull that off but she did see where he was coming from. It was clouding her mind and preventing her from thinking straight.

"Draco's the same way, you know."

"Really? He seems almost distant towards it, like he couldn't care less."

Blaise snorted, "I wish. No, he's more emotional than you about it. He may not show it but he finds it sickening and just wants to see the culprit behind bars."

Hermione was silent as she followed Blaise through the halls. It never occurred to her that maybe he was just bottling it all up inside.

"What do you think about the case?"

"I think it's just somebody who refuses to back down and it's sick. To think that someone is out there killing perfectly innocent people for no reason other than to please a dead man? It's like they have no free will of their own." Blaise spat out. "It's probably why they stole away those women's."

"How did you know that?"

Blaise smiled slightly, "You're not the only one Draco talks to."

Hermione laughed slightly, "So you guys are still friends? That's surprising."

"Really? I don't think so. I guess we just understand each other. I wasn't in the know of everything since my grandparents kept me pretty sheltered. Draco's parents on the other hand... he was always out to keep them safe. To make them happy. My parents cast me off and his nearly robbed him of his future. It's kind of pathetic, really."

"I don't think I've ever heard you say so much."

Blaise laughed, it's warmth spreading through the dark corridor. His face turned dark quickly after though and Hermione could almost feel the atmosphere change.

"He hasn't mentioned anything about the trip you two took to Azkaban. Has he said anything to you?"

"No. He's ignored me since then. It worries me though."

"Me too."

Hermione hesitated "Did you know about his mom?"

"Unfortunately. She's supposed to be transported to Malfoy Manor soon, or so he told me before he left."

Hermione turned her eyes down to her feet, feeling like she was intruding on something that she had no business in. She almost laughed at that thought, remembering what Draco had said to her. He told her that it didn't concern her so that's why he hadn't bothered to tell her about his mother's passing. All she could see now when she thought of Narcissa was the mark on her stomach. Hermione instinctively wrapped her arms around her centre.

Everything about this was wrong.

She didn't notice Blaise sending some kids back to their rooms or even where they were heading. She was blind in this hall, not focusing on anything. Eventually she just sat down against the wall.

She was frustrated. Every time they made progress in this case something would come along and mess it up. New information would join the files only later to be found irrelevant. Add on Draco's behaviour and Hermione's emotions and the two just weren't moving anywhere.

Blaise sitting beside her drew her out of her thoughts.

"What's your favourite colour?"

"What?"

"What's your favourite colour?"

"Blue." she responded after a minute. "Yours?"

"Violet." he said flashing her a dazzling smile.

She thought back on her years at Hogwarts. Blaise had been quite the lady-killer back then. She'd see a new girl on his arm every week, changing them as often as he wanted. It wasn't until now that she actually saw his charm first hand. His smile was attractive but it wasn't just thrown out freely. Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts before posing her own question.

"Favourite song?"

"It's actually a muggle song. Losing My Religion."

"Really?"

"Yep. It's my favourite for the moment at least. How about you?"

Hermione thought hard. "I actually don't have one."

"I don't believe that. Is there at least one you like?"

She laughed, "Of course. Almost anything by The Beatles I've listened to a hundred times over."

"Merlin, you're one of those girls!"

"There's nothing wrong with them!"

"No but their fans are crazy!" he said pretending to scoot away from her before returning to his original position. "How about favourite holiday?"

"Oh, that's a hard one." she said, "Christmas. It's a time when I get to see all my friends in one place. It's a nice a warm feeling holiday."

"Mine's Halloween. Nothing can top all the candy. Sure you get some at Christmas and Easter but it's nothing compared to the haul you get from all these strangers. Plus there's the nice old ladies who hand out full-sized chocolate bars. Those are heaven."

Hermione laughed before falling silent. The more she thought about her life before the war, the more she missed the simplicity. She missed her parents actually knowing who she is. She missed Ron and Harry sitting next to her in the Gryffindor common room and laughing at her studious behaviour. She missed all the laughter they shared with everyone else. Those days seem so far behind her now and she can't seem to get them out of her mind.

Blaise seemed to register her change in mood and resumed conversation.

"How about hobbies?"

"I like to read. When I was younger I wanted to be many things but three in particular always stood out. A dentist after my parents, an author so things will always have a happy ending, and of course a princess so I could have power over all the political things. Not a person would go hungry or without shelter in my kingdom. Plus there's the benefit of Prince Charming sweeping me off of my feet."

The two laughed and continued to swap stories. They stood back up and resumed pacing through the halls looking for children. The conversation flowed easily through the two and Hermione found herself warming up more and more to the DADA teacher.

"Granger!"

Hermione fought to turn around at the familiar voice.

"There you are Granger! Thought you could skip out on duties, huh?"

She whipped around fast enough to give onlookers whiplash. "What do you mean?"

Draco ignored her, "Hey Zabini!"

"Malfoy. Feeling better?"

"You could say that. Don't forget, Saturday morning. I'm counting on you to be there."

Blaise was already walking away but raised a hand in acknowledgement.

"Malfoy!" Hermione snapped.

"What?"

"You tell me! You came here yelling my name!"

"You weren't there to help me. Instead you were walking the halls with Blaise. Think you could just skip out on duties did you?"

Hermione stared at him for a minute. "Are you sure you want my help?"

"Do I have a choice?" he replied with haughtily while running his fingers through his hair.

"Not really."

"Then let's go."

He didn't even wait for her, just turned around and continued back the way he came. When she caught up to him in the library she was surprised to see him sitting in the same spot they'd chosen weeks ago when they first worked together. She sat down and immediately started reviewing the notes they had taken over the last little while. She made sure to add Narcissa to the list of possible victims.

She glanced up occasionally to see Draco zoning out before marking down places on a map. He kept scratching out ones he had just put down and replacing them before letting out a big sigh and pushing his chair back.

Hermione remembered what Blaise had said, about Draco being emotional about the case but keeping it all boxed up.

"Hey." she said, drawing his attention. "We'll find them. It's not like they can hide from the two brightest students Hogwarts has ever seen for long."

His lips curled into a small smirk. His eyes regained some colour.

"Was that a compliment?" he chuckled as he cheeks flushed. "I know you're right, but it's not about that."

"It's about your mom, isn't it?"

He nodded. "She saved Potter, you know. She made Snape keep me alive and out of trouble. She was a mother in every sense of the word. She looked after any child, not wanting a horrible fate to befall them. It's why she risked her life in saying that Potter had died. If Voldemort had found out of her treachery she would've been killed for treason. My mother would do anything to keep her family safe."

"She sounds like a brave woman."

"She had her faults. She blindly followed my father in thinking that joining the Dark Lord would grant us power and immunity."

Hermione looked out the window for a minute, aware of the set of eyes watching her every movement.

"Your mum's the one who got you a job here, isn't she?"

"Yes."

She didn't pry any deeper, instead thinking about how much Narcissa Malfoy reminded her or herself. All she could think about was how she fought to protect her own family. She removed herself from their lives and cast them off so they wouldn't be in harm's way. If Narcissa did that though, then her family would probably be in even more danger. She really was up against the wall in her decisions. She did the best that she could in raising a child while working for the supposed 'bad guys' that would cause a lot of trouble.

Hermione felt sick as she thought more about Voldemort and his followers. They were people too. Someone probably cared about them when they died. It was really no different from how the Weasley's grieved over their lost son. All they were doing was fighting for what they believed right. While the side she took part of thought that Voldemort's ways were wrong, the opposing side felt the same way regarding what they fought for. They had their lives taken from them for doing the same thing that Hermione and her friends were doing.

It was all a matter of perspective.

With this in mind she studied the blond man across from her. From her side of the war he was no better than his father. He wanted nothing more than to watch purebloods run the world and everyone else be thought of as lesser. She couldn't put herself into Voldemort's shoes but instead she thought of herself as Narcissa. Now before her was her son. Someone she tried to raise right, someone she didn't want to go down the dark path his parents had chosen. Yet he did but she still did everything she could to keep him safe and allow him to live a better life.

Hermione tore her eyes away from Draco, feeling intrusive. Instead she was reading a journal of the notes he had taken while she was AWOL.

"How's Jasper doing?" Draco asked, his voice cutting through the silence.

"Uh, good I guess. He still seems a little shaken up over the events but he's bouncing back pretty well. Still one of the brightest students in my class. Why?"

"He's almost distanced from his friends is all. He chooses to work alone a lot of the time in my class. He's gifted in potions for sure but sometimes a partner is nice to have."

Hermione nodded, "Yeah. He's probably just a little put out."

"I hope that's all."

The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable, more so cold. The distance that had formed after their trip was still there and could nearly be touched in the air. It didn't bug Hermione though. Today she'd been taught to look through a different pair of eyes in everything she did and it was something she'd value. If that meant sympathizing with how Draco used to act, she would. If it meant dropping her emotions linked to the case to get into the criminal's mind, she would. Who would have known that Blaise could convince her to understand the dark side.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed it. Next week's chapter should be interesting.


	14. Draco

Happy Halloween

* * *

Her Lucky Break

Draco

Two days had passed since Hermione's shocking revelation that the Death Eaters were also people with their own goals and their own achievements that they were proud of. She had worked with Draco every day since and had made friendly conversation with Blaise at dinner. He had reverted back to being a silent and brooding type and it took some prodding to get him to talk but when he did the conversation flowed easily and Hermione started to view him as one of her friends. She laughed sometimes at the irony that stemmed from their friendship. Back when they were students it would be seen as taboo, a Slytherin and a Gryffindor hanging out with each other but now it was pretty normal. A lot of the first years didn't care about the house prejudices.

Hermione smiled every time she saw the diversity in a group of friends. It was a relief to see the world-changing for the better. People were wearing smiles again and laughter filled the halls.

She observed all the different behaviours while eating dinner. Neville was happily chatting away with her about how awesome one of his students were doing in Herbology. She offered her opinions on how they were doing her own class but otherwise was content to just listen and people watch. Even though she was long done her dinner she waited until Draco tapped on her shoulder before excusing herself from the conversation.

Hermione followed him out of the room and nobody thought it odd. It was normal to see the former Slytherin Prince and Gryffindor Princess roaming the school together. Rumours flew everywhere about the two, some absurd involving romance, others pretty spot on with them helping McGonagall with something. Hermione imagined the latter were supplied by Ginny to stop the spread of the former. She silently thanked Ginny for that one since nobody looked twice at the odd pair anymore.

The library was as abandoned as ever, their seats in the far corner the exact way they left them. Her chair pushed in an Draco's turned to face the window. The stack of books they'd been using for reference and the maps all rolled up.

"So where are we going to start today?"

"At the beginning. Remember Dake Venir?"

Hermione thought for a second, "That's the first one we tried to search for, right?"

Draco nodded, "He was a dead-end then but I have a bad feeling about him. I caught his name in a prisoner's thought. Something about a letter. I think we'll get a lead tonight."

"I hope you're right."

She really did mean it. Hermione was tired of sitting in the dark. They'd been working together for weeks and had yet to come across anything to lead to an arrest. It was exhausting work with no rewards.

Hermione followed Draco's every order as he searched through thoughts. She sifted through maps and marked down location that he was known to be in. She wrote down everything he said before diving back into the trance. Eventually he was out of breath and worn down. She watched him gather up the work they'd done and look it over. He was in the middle of reading a map when he suddenly dropped it and pulled Hermione's quill out of her fingers.

"Hey!"

"Shut it, Granger." he said focusing.

She watched his hands move across the map, connecting all the points in an odd array. When he turned the map back around to she could see it she looked at it. The dots made and odd circular shape. At first she was confused but that didn't last for long. The map had one town in the direct centre of the shape.

"Hogsmeade. He's hiding out there, isn't he?"

"I don't know for sure, it's just a hunch." he said, "I need you to do something for me."

"What?"

"I need you to take these notes and order these locations from the earliest visit to the most recent. If he's visited there more than once, write down all the dates and order them like that."

So she set to work with her new instructions. Grabbing out a new piece of parchment she ordered them while Draco had a drink before returning to his own work. Her blood was pumping. If Dake was really in Hogsmeade or using it as a hideout this was big. They could catch their first convict and finally develop a method to catch the others. It was an odd kind of excitement coursing through her veins. The thought of the accomplishment made her work even faster.

Her hands were flying off the page but she never got a chance to finish. The table was jostled, her inkwell spilt and covering all of her work. She cast a spell to clean up any wet ink, losing a few notes but luckily not all of them. Her eyes lifted up to see Draco standing up with a wild look in his eyes. Before she could even ask what was wrong he took off in a dead sprint out of the room.

She didn't really have much of a choice. She followed.

They ran through the halls, students moving towards the walls to stay out-of-the-way of the two determined professors. There was only one thing that could have made him take off like this in the direction of McGonagall's office.

He got a lead.

Ginny saw Hermione running like she was late to class and pulled her to a stop.

"What are you doing? You look positively mad!"

"Can't talk. Big information. Must see McGonagall. See you tomorrow in class."

Ginny had never been so thoroughly confused by the girl in her life. Even when she expressed her interest in Ron.

Hermione crashed into McGonagall's office just after Draco did. The older woman looked up from her desk bewildered.

"What are the two of you doing here? Come in, sit down." She said moving out from behind her desk.

Hermione took the nearest seat across from McGonagall but Draco stayed standing, instead opting to pace. A silence fell over the room except for Draco's quiet footfalls. Hermione's eyes were glued to him, waiting for him to explain what sent him rushing all the way across the school.

"Will one of you please explain what you're doing barging in here?"

Draco whirled around to face her and took in a deep breath. "We found one. He's on his way to Hogsmeade right now as we talk. We need to send some people down there and stop him. He doesn't plan on staying there for long, just enough to get some supplies."

"Who?" McGonagall asked slightly confused.

"Dake Venir. Convict number seven on my list I received."

McGonagall was on her feet in an instant. "Are you sure of this?"

"Positive."

"We even have a map showing his patterns." Hermione chirped in only to realise they left everything in the library. "Or we did."

McGonagall stood up and hurried over to her desk, sifting through one of the drawers before finally pulling out a small pouch. Hermione recognized it as floo powder and stood up as well. There was no way she was going to be left at Hogwarts. She worked just as hard as Draco to catch Dake.

"When we get there I'll go explain what happened to my superior. While I'm doing that you two need to explain in detail how you found him. Leave out Mr Malfoy's... ability. We can't have him get into too much trouble."

The two professors both nodded.

"Alright then, let's go."

One by one they stepped into the fireplace and clearly said "Ministry of Magic" before disappearing. Hermione was surprised at how busy the floo network was when she first arrived but then remembered that everyone was heading home for the night. The deeper in the trio got, the less people they saw. They were silent as they walked through the halls and took the elevator in many confusing directions. When the finally reached the office McGonagall was heading for Hermione gasped.

"Harry's your superior?"

"Why do you seem so surprised? He's mostly a messenger right now and therefore he's my contact." McGonagall said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Hermione was still stunned.

"Now wait right here. I'll be done in a minute."

Hermione slumped against the wall, sinking to the floor as McGonagall went through the door. Draco leaned up beside her.

"So what's our story?" Draco asked.

"I don't know, aren't Slytherin's supposed to be fantastic liars? Why don't you tell me?"

She heard him chuckle but didn't look up for fear of becoming ensnared in the liquid silver pools of his eyes. Every since she saw the innocence of him through the eyes of his mother she couldn't help but see him in that light. He was no longer the childish boy who taunted her and her friends. He was no longer the boy who plotted for a whole year to kill Dumbledore. No, he had grown up in such a short time much as she had. He lost just as much in the war only she never realised.

"You know, not all Slytherin's are that bad."

This time it was Hermione's turn to laugh, remembering a conversation she had just a short while ago that started off in much the same way. "Oh, is that so?"

"But of course. We only play dirty to achieve our dreams, is that really so bad that you're repulsed by the Slytherin reputation?"

Draco watched as Hermione's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink and felt the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"I'm not repulsed by them all."

He felt the smile grow.

"Jasper's nice."

Then it fell. Wow, that actually hurt almost as much as the punch in the face she had delivered back in their third year at Hogwarts. He almost grinned again thinking of that memory. Compared to the slap she gave him on their first day here as teachers it was as light as a feather. Back then it had sent him running away in fear, his tail between his legs.

"Is there anyone else you care to enjoy the company of?"

"Well, Blaise is certainly a fine fellow. He's quite the perpetuating character actually. One minute he's being sweet and the next he's serious before brushing it off with a joke."

Hermione's face brightened with a grin at the thought of all the fun the two professors had traversing the halls that night. She finally got to have a real conversation with somebody who didn't have something important to do that involved them running off or flat out despising her.

Her eyes flitted up to see Draco's face but he wasn't looking at her. Instead he was staring intently at the door McGonagall had left through as if he could see right through it if he tried hard enough.

"Malfoy?" she asked tentatively.

"Hmm?" he replied, his eyes focusing on her again.

"What's going to be our story?"

He sighed before looking at the door again. "Nothing special. They know we were working under McGonagall and have inside information on the guy so I was thinking that we were just tracking him and happened to notice a pattern would work. It's still the truth if they plan on using the veritaserum on us. We'll just be omitting how we had tracked his movements."

Hermione's gaze fell into her lap as she started to play with a loose string on her sleeve.

"Malfoy, you-" she started as McGonagall and Harry came busting through the office door.

Harry took one look at the two and pointed at Draco.

"You with me. We need you to show us exactly where it is that you think he's hiding out. Hermione, stay here with Professor McGonagall, she'll lead you through some of your paperwork. Testimonies will happen after a senior officer has returned."

With that the two men left, leaving Hermione feeling awfully deflated. She knew Harry had work to do but it still would've been nice if he muttered a simple 'hello' to her.

About ten minutes later she stood up as a short man with a stubby nose approached. In his hand was a large folder but barely anything seemed to be in it. He stopped in front of the older woman and gave a slight bow of respect before turning to face Hermione.

"Ms Granger?"

"Yes?"

"This is the paperwork you're supposed to fill out. It'll be collected by the senior officer but until then you can get comfortable. Please welcome yourself to Mr Potter's office as per his request to make sure you and his former teacher are well accommodated."

He turned his attention towards Professor McGonagall once more. "For you he said that all information pertaining to the activities in Hogsmeade will be brought to your attention as soon as we get news. You're to be kept well updated."

"Thank you."

"You two ladies have a good evening." he said hastily shoving the folder into Hermione's hands.

With that the man was gone and Hermione was left wondering all these questions about him. What was his name? His job? Did he have a family?

She wasn't even sure what exactly had brought about these thoughts. Maybe she was starting to see the world in different light. Even the monsters like Monli had something tying them to this world. Something that made him human. Just because they'd done what she viewed as wrong didn't mean they did the same in their minds. To them they were just hitting another milestone, maybe even one that had meaning to them. While it sickened her to think that somebody would do such atrocious acts and think it was 'okay', she did see the way it looked in black and white. Without her personal emotions mixing in to colour the picture dark and light.

The truth is as stands: No one person has a goal that is unreachable. It's just how far their willing to go to get it.

Now what was Draco's goal? What was his intentions when he joined the Dark Lord and helped to plot Dumbledore's death?

Hermione's mind was racing as she entered Harry's office, barely noticing the decor. Instead she promptly sat down in one of the overly plush chairs, shifting repeatedly until she found a position she was comfortable in. Opening the folder she read through the questions. Concluding that McGonagall's help would be unnecessary, she started filling them out. There were all about what they were doing here and why they had access, information that was probably already on file.

By the time that McGonagall placed a cup of tea in front of her only ten minutes later, Hermione was finishing up the last page.

"You have not changed one bit, Ms Granger."

Hermione let a genuine smile light up her face, "Thanks."

The two enjoyed their tea in silence. Hermione filled out the last three questions and staring blindly out the window while McGonagall examined an article that Harry had left open on his desk.

"Professor...?"

"Yes?"

Hermione looked down into her lap. The questions had been eating at her from the inside and she knew that there were only two people she could ask for answers and one of them would deny them until the end of time.

"Why was Draco admitted to teach at Hogwarts?"

McGonagall gave a long pause and the younger witch was worried that she wasn't going to give her a straight answer either.

"His late mother, Narcissa Malfoy. Her and Snape had done their best to protect the boy and I'm afraid that his father had a greater influence upon him in his early years. I don't know the exact details but I will tell you this. Narcissa had not wanted this life for Draco. She wanted him to grow up safe and happy but that could never happen with Lucius."

The Professor stopped and Hermione was worried that it was all the information she would get out of her. She was almost relieved when she continued.

"When Draco was forced to join Voldemort to make up for his parents' failure, Narcissa had sought Snape out. That's why he was doing everything her could to keep him safe. It didn't all work out the way they wanted it to though and all three of them stood trial. I visited her before she was to go and she asked one thing of me. That was to put him on the right track. I didn't need to though. I'm not going to go into detail as this is something that you should hear from him yourself but he gave us valuable information when he could. He helped save some of us from certain death by warning us of the danger when he was able to."

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione said standing up to look at the bookshelf. She pulled on off at random before returning to her seat.

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask him for anymore details."

"That's alright. They should be back soon."

Hermione was right. It had nearly been thirty minutes since they had left. As Hermione read the book she stole from Harry's shelf the clock continued to tick. As it approached the hour point she began to worry. It shouldn't of taken that long to bring him in. Not when they were highly trained in magic and were more than capable of defending themselves.

Eventually she placed the book down on the desk, unable to focus enough to read it.

She'd never admit it aloud, but she was worried for the ferret, Malfoy. It taking so long was not part of the plan, him going wasn't even part of it. She wanted nothing more than to see him return without having a mark anywhere. Hermione wasn't sure when she started to feel so strongly about Malfoy but he had grown to be an important part of her daily life. While she was concerned with Harry's safety as well, it wasn't as dominating.

Draco Malfoy was ruining everything she had ever known and it was messing her brain up until it became a scattered mess. It wasn't fair at all.

She stood rather abruptly, hoping movement would help clear her mind. "I'm going to go for a walk. All this sitting and waiting is making me stiff. I'll be right back."

Professor McGonagall nodded but didn't look up from her own piece of reading.

Hermione paced slowly up and down the corridor that housed Harry's office. It had been over an hour and she was falling deeper into the abyss that was insanity every minute. She felt like she was on the verge of crying when she noticed the unmistakeable head of white-blond hair at the top of the corridor.

She had no idea what made her think it was okay but Hermione ran. She ran towards Draco before tackling him in a hug. He easily caught her though and kept them balance. His movements were stiff and awkward, surprised by the sudden attack of the bushy haired woman.

"Draco, you're okay." she mumbled but it seemed to be more for her own assurance then for his.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Hermione looked up to see the signature cocky smirk her wore gracing his features. It was she saw his eyes that she realised just exactly who it was that she was hugging and she backed away.

There was an unspoken vow between the two in the brief moment of eye contact.

They would never speak of this to anyone.

* * *

Aren't awkward hugs the best?

So, I got 1000 views in the last week so thank you to all that have read! I'm finally not swamped with work since now the teachers just need to mark everything for midterms.

Review for more cute Dramione scenes?


	15. Orange is NOT Your Colour

Her Lucky Break

Orange is NOT Your Colour

It had been a week since they captured Dake Venir. The Ministry seemed to approve of the story Draco had fabricated or at least didn't push the matter. Hermione couldn't figure out why they might not believe it but it was always a possibility when things came down to Draco Malfoy. As an ex-con people are always questioning just how reliable he is. The thought about the past war and how he switched sides and never showed any real loyalty to either of them. He was to flexible and it worried most.

It stopped worrying Hermione though. After Hermione's conversation with Professor McGonagall about the man in question she had started drawing some conclusions about the young man. They may not be right but they were definitely things that could prove to be plausible.

Hermione's classes had gone by quickly all week. The excitement that had followed Halloween had left the students happy. It was starting to wear off though as candy was no longer presented at the dinner tables. Mostly her classes had been doing preparations for their midterms that are quickly approaching. It left her to plot points on maps during classes, only stopping once a student asked for clarification on some of the material. Draco and her had managed to catch another one that was just hiding out in a small village not long after Dake. She was feeling relieved over the shortening list but there was still one written at the top of the page that would cause them great trouble.

She had no idea how Draco would be able to put his father back into jail. Even if he was an evil and despicable excuse for a human being to her, he raised Draco. He was sure to see his father in a different light.

She was starting to feel as if the pair's luck was starting to run out.

"Hermione!" someone snapped from in front of her.

"Ginny?" the professor responded, slightly surprised at the sudden presence of the younger Gryffindor girl.

"Duh," she said waving her hands over herself. "So, are we still on for this weekend or not?"

"Uh..."

"Don't tell me you forgot!"

"Sorry? I've just been so preoccupied with work and all the little extras that begin with D." Hermione replied sheepishly.

"Speaking of him, how's it going?"

Hermione felt her face flush. Things hadn't been exactly... normal between the two since the night they caught Dake. She was always awkwardly looking at him, as if expecting him to bring up the hug but he never did and she wasn't going to mention it anytime soon. She couldn't imagine telling Ginny about that. She loved the girl but when it came to boys she was never very good at keeping things under wraps.

"Not too bad I guess. We've made two arrests. It feels good to be making some progress. So what is it we're supposed to be doing this weekend?"

"Christmas shopping. I wanted to find the perfect gift for Harry and that might take a few trips."

Hermione laughed at the girl's face as it scrunched up at the thought of so much hard work. She could understand where she was coming from though. Hermione had always picked out her gifts accordingly and made sure that it was suitable. She wasn't going to get a tie for Ron when he'd never even pick it up. Instead she'd give the tie to her dad and give Ron a box of sweets and maybe a new sweater if she could find one he wasn't going to wreck in record time.

She felt a slight ache in her heart, one that was unfamiliar to her. She knew what it was though.

She missed Ron.

It was as simple as that. She didn't miss being in a relationship with him, oh no. Instead Hermione missed being best friends with him. She had at least seen Harry a few times since coming to Hogwarts. Just the other night they had dinner to celebrate the capture of two criminals. Ron however, she had only seen on that one occasion and they hadn't written to each other since breaking up.

"Yeah. I think it would be a good idea to at least start the shopping now. Do you have any idea what Ron might need? I don't even know where he is right now."

Ginny gave the girl a bright smile. "Great! We should leave Saturday before lunch. Want to meet here?"

Hermione just nodded and smiled back at the girl.

"Awesome. Now I need to run, Malfoy'll kill me if I'm late to his class again."

* * *

Hermione had duty on Thursday and Draco had it on Friday, the only two days of the week that the two professors weren't huddled up in the library sorting through any information they could get their hands on. Without anyway to spend the days leading up to Saturday they seemed to drag by at an insanely slow rate. She didn't realise just how excited she was to go shopping with Ginny until she remembered just how long ago the two girls had done such an activity. It was all the way back when they received their letters to Hogwarts.

She had a skip in her step as she walked down to her classroom. She missed having a girl's day with Ginny and she couldn't wait to look for gifts to give to the boys for Christmas. She just hoped they would all spend the holiday together, it had been too long.

"Hey Ginny!" Hermione called excitedly, walking towards the ginger.

"Hey. So we just need to be back before dinner since I promised to help Neville move his plants yet again. He seems to think that moving them into different light sources every so often will help them grow stronger."

The two girls giggled harmlessly before walking out and towards Hogsmeade. They spent all of their time catching up on everything that had gone on. Hermione said everything she could without releasing sensitive information and she could tell that it was bothering Ginny to be kept in the dark but it wasn't her fault. She was sworn to secrecy.

"So what do you think Harry would like?"

"Nothing expensive." Hermione said without a moments notice, "Instead he'd want something that can hold a happy memory. He prefers the good times he's had in life in comparison to the material objects. Maybe get a picture framed. Or even make him something, I think your mum has the sweaters covered again this year."

Ginny laughed, "Well, I do have once picture of everyone from Christmas a few years ago. Do you think he'll like that one?"

"I think he'll love it. What about your brother? What kind of things does he like?"

"Food."

This time it was Hermione's turn to laugh. "Anything else? I already have that one on my list of things to shop for regarding him."

"I actually don't know. I know that Harry is getting him a new broom, he told me so last time he came down. Already has an order in for it."

So the girls window shopped. They walked into the stores that showed promise and even some that didn't, finding cute little knickknacks to give to fellow classmates or colleagues. Hermione ended up with a scarf for Harry and some licorice wands for herself. She found an adorable necklace she wanted to get Ginny but couldn't due to the girl's presence. She'd have to come back another time by herself to pick it up.

Hermione even tried looking for something fancy to give to a certain professor she works with. Nothing really caught her eye and screamed Malfoy though. Instead she found a lot of tacky stuff she would buy for her parents to decorate the house and while she may not like them, her parents would love them.

There was another pang of hurt in her chest as she thought about her parents. Last year she was too busy at Christmas to worry about not spending it with them but this year she could feel the pain. All of their traditions, effectively cut off due to her inability to reverse the memory charm. She would never be able to forgive herself but at the same time she could never hate herself. She did what she had to in order to protect her family.

Once again she found herself in Narcissa Malfoy's shoes.

She wondered if the quality she had that made her so protective was passed down to Draco. The more she thought about it, the more human he became in her eyes and it was starting to scare her. For so long she viewed him as someone who had no heart, just an empty shell who was no better than the insults he dished out daily. Now he has feelings and wishes.

She was content to just listen to Ginny ramble on about everything on their way back to the castle. Her mind was ruining everything she'd ever thought to be true and it was breaking her down one piece at a time. It was a terrifying feeling, having everything you put your trust into being pulled out from under you. It's like watching a vase fall from the top of the china cabinet and knowing there's no way to stop it from hitting the floor and the beautiful crystal shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.

They arrived back at the school just as the students were starting to push into the Great Hall for dinner. Hermione was going down the hall to the teacher's entrance when she was stopped by somebody yanking on her arm.

"Hey! Watch it!" she complained, yanking her arm free and rubbing the sore spot where the person had gripped just a little too firmly.

"Granger." he snapped.

She looked up to see the sharp face of Draco Malfoy.

"What do you want now?"

"I've been looking for you all day. You have an appointment tomorrow."

Hermione stared at him for a second as if she didn't understand. "What do you mean an appointment? I certainly didn't make one."

"That's right. You didn't. I had to since you obviously forgot about the Masquerade ball. You can't possibly go looking like a middle class housewife. It doesn't work like that. No, you need to look first rate. Only the best are going to be there."

She mentally slapped herself for forgetting such an important detail. They were going to do undercover work next week! How could she forget? This is where they might find out just who is behind all of these gruesome murders.

"Wait, what's the appointment for?"

"For a dress. Are you seriously that simple-minded today?"

Hermione wouldn't dare tell him about how she forgot that she was going shopping with Ginny today too.

"Well never mind. Just be here at one exactly or I'll make you pay for your own dress."

With that he left to enter the dining hall, leaving Hermione looking flabbergasted.

* * *

While Hermione was excited to go shopping with Ginny the previous day, she was terrified of going with Draco. Sure they were on much better terms than they were as students and seemed to understand each other but that didn't change the fact that they are only just starting to get along. With Ginny it's all laughter and mindless chit-chatter. Draco though, he's someone who expects to be benefited by every conversation and spending a whole afternoon with him could very well drive Hermione mad. It didn't help that his mood swings she never knew what to expect from him.

She already barely slept. Her nightmare had returned in full force last night, effectively keeping the young witch awake. There wasn't even anything terrifying about the silver. She was back to having the soft ones with rings, moonlight, a sense of warmth. Yet it still managed to keep her awake for hours on end before she eventually passed back out. Even after sleeping in she got less hours than she did on a school night after patrol duty.

On top of that her hair just refused to cooperate with her. Normally her Sunday's were spent inside where she could mark some work that her students had submitted or enjoy a nice novel. If it was any ordinary Sunday she could look like Neville's grandma and nobody would care because they would never see her. No. Not today. Draco just had to drag her out and make her attempt to look presentable as they were going to be trying on fancy clothes.

By the time she stumbled out of her room she was already wishing for the day to be over with.

Now, how long did he say this dress shopping escapade would take?

Hermione tried not to think about it as she trudged through the halls towards the Great Hall. She almost missed Draco leaning casually up against the wall.

"You're early." she said. Not once in all their time working together did he ever show up early. Or late for that matter. He had always shown up exactly when he said he would as if he was on a tight schedule.

"So are you." he said giving her a small smile. "Are you ready to go?"

"As long as you tell me our destination. I'd rather not be kidnapped and killed."

Draco laughed at her joke, even if she was being semi-serious. Lately he'd been acting strange. More carefree and happy but at the same time even more guarded than before. It left him in an unpredictable state that rather did scare the young witch.

"We're going to a dress shop down in London." he looked like he wanted to say more but cut himself off.

"Alright! Let's go!" she said starting the trek towards the door.

"Uh, no. Good luck with that Granger. Walking will make us miss your appointment."

Hermione groaned internally. She was desperately hoping that he wasn't going to suggest apparition. Last time she had to fight over him for floo powder just to avoid it. He made her admit that he did better in Potions. She turned around on her heel only to let a smile grace her lips.

In his hand was a little pouch that she would forever be grateful for.

"We'll have to leave through McGonagall's office since they still haven't taken the anti-magic wards off of my rooms."

They ended up arriving in London much to early to attend her appointment. The two ended up walking along the busy street and stopping to get some weird candy Hermione just had to buy Ron for Christmas. After doing some window shopping Draco finally told Hermione it was time to go visit the seamstress and inquire about getting a suitable dress for her to wear. Again the nerves were crawling in her skin as she remembered just exactly who she was here with and why. In just a short period of time she'd be done up in the dress they chose and walking into a building full of murderers.

The thoughts didn't help calm her down at all.

"Here we are." Draco said pulling the door open and walking in like he owned the place.

Hermione shuffled in quietly behind him and was awestruck by what she saw. Outside it appeared to be a shabby little business, one that would see meaningless trinkets that you'd never think of buying. Inside though was a palace of colour. Beautiful dresses were on display and mountains of fabric was available to chose from. She'd never seen such an extensive colour palette before. She had to remember the close her mouth.

She watched as Draco sauntered up to the desk and rung a small silver bell, drawing forth a short and plump lady from a back room.

"Ah, you must be Malfoy. Oh yes. I recognize you. Haven't seen you since you were just a wee lad I'm afraid."

"It's always a pleasure Miss Divone." he replied in a silky purr before motioning to Hermione. "We're actually here to find a suitable dress for this lady here."

"Welcome dear. I must say, you have lovely skin, I think a darker colour would suit it perfectly. Or maybe a pastel. What may be the occasion?"

Draco looked around the shop as if to confirm it's emptiness before replying. "It's for a _party_."

The way he pronounced the word made Hermione shiver. He sounded almost disgusted and it relieved her to see that she wasn't the only one feeling distressed by their upcoming job. Miss Divone seemed to understand what the wizard meant and immediately lead the two to the back of the store, plucking dresses off racks as she went. Hermione caught a glimpse of one of the price tags and nearly had a heart attack. Was he really going to spend that much on a dress she would wear once before promptly shoving it in her closet to never be seen again?

He didn't seem fazed at all by the prices in the store though, instead looking for dresses that would fit his needs.

By the time the trio reached the back rooms there were at least twelve different dresses shoved into Hermione's arms as she got herded into one of the dressing stalls. She was trying on a strapless one that cinched in at the waist with a bright bow before poofing out like an umbrella. It ended just above the knees and was a nice fit. Her only issue was the colour, pumpkin orange. Well, and the fact that the zipper just refused to do up.

She tried yanking on it in every which way but was fearful of breaking the zipper off. It just wouldn't budge. She could feel her pride starting to slip as Draco yelled at her.

"Are you done in there yet?"

"Uh..."

"What? You didn't rip it did you? If it was too small all you had to do was say so."

Hermione felt an angry blush coat her cheeks but it was more so at herself for giving in so easily. Holding the dress in place with her hand she opened the door and stepped out, keeping her eyes close to the ground. It was going to be painful to actually ask him for assistance.

"Can you zip me up?" she said as loudly as she could muster, the blush still coating her cheeks.

He didn't say anything but she could hear him move behind her and felt his cool fingers against the skin on her back. It was almost a reassuring feeling and Hermione felt like she could melt into his touch. She was embarrassed when he got the zipper up in one go with no hassle as she turned to face him.

"So what do you-"

She was cut off by the front door slamming open.

"Step away from 'Mione you ferret!" Ron bellowed charging into the room and walking swiftly with a purpose towards the two.

Hermione sighed deeply before moving in between Draco and Ron.

"Hello Weasley. Aren't you supposed to be off snogging on someone who's not your girlfriend?"

Hermione and Ron both shot Draco a dirty look although Hermione's had more curiosity than anything. As far as the young witch had known, only Ginny, Ron, and Harry had any idea why the couple had broken up. Possibly Lavender as well but Hermione couldn't be sure if that news had actually made it that far.

"Oh shove off Malfoy. You couldn't get a date even if you wanted to, let alone a long time girlfriend. Now what are you doing here with 'Mione?"

"I seem to recall that her name is Hermione and to answer your question, I'm buying her a dress for _our date_."

Today was apparently a day of surprises for Hermione as she found herself staring incredulously at Draco once more. Just what exactly was he playing at?

"You're joking." said Ron, clearly not wanting to believe what Draco was saying. To be honest, Hermione didn't want to believe it either. What had gotten into him to make him think this was okay? "And Hermione, as your friend, no as your best friend I'm going to say this once. It's your life but don't you think you can do better?"

This time Hermione laughed. "No, Ron, you've got the wrong idea. Draco's only-"

She never got to finish though. Draco interrupted her by throwing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him.

"One for me." he 'finished' for her, flashing a grin down at her. She could see the amusement gleaming in his eyes at the thought of how riled up Ron was getting.

Ron just shook his head in displeasure, as if to say he never thought she'd sink to such lows. "I know he's supposedly a good guy now thanks to Harry but still. Are you sure you can trust him?"

"We're not actually-"

"C'mon Weaslebee. I think she has some pretty good judgment skills. How about this, you guys can catch up later when we're not pressed for time?" his voice was starting to sound dull again as the argument got boring. Apparently Ron couldn't be counted on for a good fight anymore as he just took the incident in good stride. Surely he didn't have any good reason to believe that this was real, did he?

"Fine. But 'Mione, you better get in touch soon. Harry is trying to book some time off to see one of my games, you and Gin should come too." They way he was glaring daggers at Malfoy clearly said he wasn't invited but he couldn't seem to care less.

"Absolutely! I'll buy tickets as soon as a date is set!" Hermione promised as Ron turned to walk out the door.

The minute he was gone Hermione turned to Draco, shrugging his arm away with disgust. She may understand him and may no longer hate him but she sure didn't love him and there was no way they were dating!

"Just what exactly was going through your mind?!" she yelled at him.

"Don't worry about it. He wasn't going to start a fight anyway. And just when I thought this shopping trip might turn out to be fun."

"Well how dare you! I can't believe you dragged me into it by claiming that I am your date! Which I am not! We're going strictly for work purposes." she made sure to clarify.

Draco looked at her with a bored expression. "I do have tastes you know."

Hermione clenched her hands into fists and ground her teeth before turning on her heel and retreating into the dressing stall.

"Just so you know, orange is definitely not your colour!"

* * *

So did anybody catch my extended metaphor? Because I am seriously proud of it. I can never find them in English class but I can inadvertently write them at 2am.

And I'm sorry if this feels really fillerish since it kind of is. Next chapter is the ball so... I needed some build up! Expect another cute Dramione one in there without the intention of pissing off Ron. I couldn't make him fight Draco since my ginger baby needs to be back again so it was probably OOC!


	16. The Ball

Her Lucky Break

The Ball

Hermione's nerves felt like the were on fire and she couldn't stop shaking. Ever since she was reminded of the stupid party the nightmares had returned. Nothing had changed in them besides the intensity with the addition of a new focus. A small silver dagger. Gone was the soft and hypnotizing feeling, replaced by the hard edge of cruelty. She didn't even have a reason to fear the dream but that's what made it worse. Despite her fear being irrational, as sometimes the dreams even brought her contentment, she awoke terrified and feeling helpless. She was stuck. Stuck in an endless battle that would consume her until she figured out a way to win against something that couldn't even touch her.

Her rooms were still dark so she quietly padded out of bed. Not due to worry of waking an imaginary roommate but to avoid disturbing the peacefulness. The small kitchenette was ill equipped due to it's disuse but she had a few glasses and that was all she needed. Hermione drank back two whole glasses before refilling it again and taking it to bed.

Even after calming down sleep would not come easily. The same thing had happened the night before. She ended up trudging to class completely exhausted after only a few hours of sleep. She was lucky it was just a test day so she could relax a bit. Today she'd need to get up and teach her students something new though. Today she'd have to accomplish something, including making a lesson plan for tomorrow as she'd be leaving in the afternoon.

Today she'd have things to do but still her brain would not shut down and let her sleep.

Instead she laid there, patiently waiting for her eyes to start drooping. It was a long process but she'd definitely need it. By the time she finally fell back asleep she had counted three thousand fifty two sheep.

The lack of sleep wasn't evident on Hermione's face when she looked in the mirror that morning. She looked the same as usual, her hair bushy and her eyes wide open. The only thing lacking was the bright smile she normally wore on a Monday morning. She couldn't trust it to make an appearance though. Tomorrow she'd be doing fake smiles as she danced around a room with Draco on her arm, looking for a murderer.

Her stomach dropped as she thought about how close those events really were. Soon she'd be in a room that had no escape without revealing her true identity.

Tomorrow would be hell.

Hermione sucked in a deep breath and focused on her plan for today. Tomorrow could wait but right now she had a class she needed to go see. Today is all she should focus on.

Her nerves didn't calm down once. She ate breakfast in the Great Hall and watched as the owls came in. Ginny received a letter that had her staring at Hermione with a perplexed expression on her face. A few times her eyes darted to Professor Malfoy before returning to rest on her. She felt uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gaze of the youngest Weasley and squirmed slightly in her seat. Ginny mouthed something to her but Hermione didn't understand. The girl quickly gave up and returned to her breakfast.

Hermione was left feeling curious about the ginger's strange actions but didn't have much time to think about it. Instead she finished her meal and stood up, walking swiftly out of the Hall and into her classroom.

Slowly they filed in and took their seats, most wearing determined expressions on their faces. Others looked worried while a handful didn't appear to care at all. Hermione sat at her desk, sorting through all of her papers to keep herself distracted. When class started she strode to the front of the room and gave a speel about how cheaters would be punished. She took any last minute questions, cringing at "Is it hard?" before lifting the charm on the board.

Returning to her seat found her writing a day plan for tomorrow's supply and occasionally looking up to monitor her class. All too soon she stood by the door, collecting the tests as her class left and the new one took their place. It was repitive like that all day. She marked the previous class' work as the newest group wrote theirs. She was astounded by so many blank answers- it wasn't her teaching was it? Hermione had thought that she'd been doing a good job.

By the time classes were over she was utterly exhausted. She rested her forehead on her desk, not wanting to move from her spot.

"So why didn't you tell me?"

She didn't even look up, already knowing the voice from her summer at the Burrow.

"Tell you what?" Hermione mumbled against the wood.

"That you and _Malfoy_ are a thing!" Ginny hissed.

This made Hermione raise her head. "Who in their right mind would say such a thing?"

"So it's true? I thought you had more class than that filth. Please, tell me it's all just some sick joke. It can't be true. It can't be, can it?"

Hermione almost laughed. "Oh Merlin no! Not only do I find that thought utterly repulsive, but have you fogotten how 'low' that would be stooping to for him? I'm an, as he used to say, filthy mudblood. Those kind of things don't just change over night."

Hermione wasn't even sure how much of that she actually believed herself. She didn't really find the thought repulsive, just not something she could see happening even in different circumstances. She also didn't know where he stood on his blood prejiduces. Sure he'd been a bit brash to her while they were dress shopping but still. He could be completely over them, even if that wasn't likely, but she really didn't know anything about him. Hermione knew only a handful of things about the new and improved Draco Malfoy, none of which were definably good or evil.

She saw Ginny's face perk up a bit. "I mean, don't get the wrong idea, Hermione. Even if you did date him I know you'd see something in him, even if none of the rest of us can see it. It's just relieving to know that you aren't just going around behind our backs. Ron seemed really sure of it and asked me to approach you calmly about it..."

"Ron? He's the one who told you?"

"Yeah. He said he saw you two out in public and that he's okay with it..." Ginny trailed off. "You two _really_ aren't together?"

"No. Draco was just messing with Ron by saying that."

"But you are on first name basis?"

"That's for a different reason. We're kind of practising being comfortable around each other."

Ginny sighed, "More of your secret society?"

Hermione felt bad for keeping the ginger in the dark but it was neccesary. Harry was obviously doing it for her protection but still, it's not like Ginny isn't capable of taking care of herself. She did ubderstand the worry though.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. Just promise me that whatever you're doing isn't too dangerous. I can't-"

She didn't finish but the unsaid words hung like lead in the air. _I can't lose another person_.

"The most dangerous aspect is seeing how far I can push Draco but so far, he doesn't seem to have a limit. It's like an empty pit that consumes his emotions."

Ginny laughed.

"We should probably get to dinner before they don't serve us."

"I agree. I'm starving!"

Hermione wasn't sure where it all went. Even though Ginny ate in a refined manner she could still pack away as much as her brother when she wanted too, especially after Quidditch practise. It must run in the family.

* * *

Hermione woke with a start, a sheet of cold sweat covering her body. Covered faces grinning, the moon, a dagger. It all seemed so real and she was ready to just burst into tears. They wouldn't come though. Instead she sat in bed, her knees pulled up to her chest.

Every thought she had about the coming day made her miserable. All she could think about were all the ways it could go wrong. Maybe someone who recognize her. It was possible, she was a very iconic piece in the war. Maybe not as much as Harry or even Ron but she was the brains, the strategist. She was a threat and it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think that the Death Eater's knew what she looked like and be able to identify her as Hermione Granger. Maybe they'd notice Draco instead, with his head of white hair. Oh she wished he wouldn't have to cover it up but she didn't see any other option. It was too easily seen.

It was over an hour when she finally got up to move, the stiffness in her muscles painful.

The water from her shower felt like heavan and slowly the young girl began to return to the land of the living. She sat in her common area, book in hand but unopened as she waited for a reasonable hour. The minute the sun started to rise she was up and out the door to McGonagall's office. She knew the woman would be up this early, she alwasy was and didn't feel intrusive at barging in.

"Can you start early?"

"No good morning?" the Headmistress made a rare joke, "I don't see why not though. Is something wrong?"

"Uh, no, I just didn't have a very good sleep. I think I might just try to relax or even take a nap."

Professor McGonagall pressed on, knowing it wasn't the only thing bothering the girl. "What's got you nervous?"

"What happens if we mess up?"

"Well, Mr. Malfoy already has permission to apparate here, as do you in case you didn't realise, so you can just get out of there as fast as you can. I can't see you two making a mistake though, you're far too talented. I'm sure you'll find a way to get through the night while avoiding trouble."

Hermione wasn't convinced though. Her nerves were going haywire as fear pulsed within her.

"You should go lay down. I can assure you that you'll be fine. You are the brightest witch of your generation."

Hermione gave her a weak smile, trying to pull herself together. She is a Gryffindor for Godric's sake! She should be laughing at the face of danger and charging headfirst in. Yet she was terrified of the unknown. Tonight would be unpredictable.

She thanked Professor McGonagall for her help and left the tower, trudging her way to her rooms as the castle slowly came to life. She picked her book back up from the couch and tried to focus on reading it. It took a while but eventually she was immersed in the beautifully tragic story of Carter and Kyra.

She was feeling both impatient and dreading the events to come. Hermione wanted to find teh killer so they could throw him back in jail but at the same time she just flat out didn't want to go. She couldn't imagine Draco feeling much better, being in a room with a killer and his supporters. Then again, he'd been in much the same position during the Second Wizard War when Voldemort had stayed with them. A killer and his followers.

She wasn't sure how it happened but sleep claimed her again. Those few dreamless hours became the best sleep she ever had and left her in a much better mood. When she awoke lunch had already passed. She shot up when she realised that she had no idea when they were supposed to meet. Her and Draco had never communicated that information. All she knew was that it was after the school day is done as he had to teach his class.

She groaned as she figured getting ready wouldn't really hurt anyone. She ate a sandwich, one of the only things she could make as she still hadn't bought any food and opened her closet. The white bag that hung delicately to the floor would be the bane of her exsistence. She removed it carefull and laid it down on her bed. It had taken quite a while to chose a dress that they both agreed on but this one had no faults.

It was a simple strapless, deep and shimmering purple dress that had a corset back. It hugged her hips before flowing down to the floor like a waterfall, pooling slightly at her feet. Her favourite part was the bodice though. It had faint silver sparkles starting at the top and fading out. It cost a little more than the rest in the store but it was well worth it.

She pulled a box out of the back of her closet and placed the silver heels onto the bed beside her dress.

Hermione walked to her bathroom, pulling her small makeup collection out from a cupboard. It took a few tries to apply it properly but eventually she got a soft undertone highlighting her features. It reminded her of the Yule ball, only then she was excited to go out and have a fun night with Viktor Krum. Tonight would be different though and the feelings were almost as far matching as possible.

Her hair became manageable after even more tries than her face. She was actually relieved to see the sophisticated half do. A sense of pride washed over her as she examined herself. Even though it took a lot of work, more than she was willing to admit, the end product made her feel pretty. She knew the outfit would just be the cherry on top.

She took her time slipping the dress on, careful not to crease or wreck it in anyway. She grabbed her shoes and a necklace her mom had given to her for Christmas a few years ago, putting them on as well. The nerves kept getting progressively worse as she tried not to focus on what the occasion is. it wasn't helping though. She didn't think anything could quell her fear of the unknown.

She didn't realize just how much time she had really wasted getting ready until she heard the students out of class. Still not knowing when she was supposed to be ready by had her walking down the halls dressed up like a Barbie. She knew where his room was, having asked him to take over a patrol shift for her a while back and made quick work of the halls. The less people who seen her the better lest rumors start flying about.

Upon reaching Draco's portrait, Hermione promptly asked for him. She barely waited before it swung inward, revealing an underdressed professor in the doorway.

Both of their faces went a few shades past tomato red. While Draco was surprised about Hermione's appearance, having only seen her so done up in year four but was also embarrassed, which is why Hermione was blushing. His waist down was all dressed up, perfectly pressed black slacks and shiny dress shoes. His upper body however was partially exposed. A white button up was covering his arms and shoulders but was not done up. A matching tie to Hermione's dress was draped around his neck. The centre of his torso and stomach however was left blank and Hermione's face felt almost disgustingly warm as she looked at him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"I, uh, I didn't know when we were leaving or where to meet."

"Oh. You can come in, I guess."

Draco waved her through the doorway before passing her and going into what she assumed to be the bathroom.

His common area appeared to be much like her own only done in darker tones. More fitting for the former Slytherin. Hermione was slightly hesitant in the room but moved to take a seat on the black leather couch regardless. There were next to none home touches to the room. It was very formal, as if it was only a short term stay. She was still looking at the walls when Draco rejoined her, his hair had been charmed and shirt done up. She noticed the suit jacket draped over his arm as well as two black boxes.

"Are we leaving already?"

"Actually, I was going to get dinner first but you're welcome to join me. I'm pretty sure they can grab a chair to change the reservation to two."

Hermione was stunned for a moment. Where had this gentlemanly behavior come from? Was it because of the way he was raised? She supposed that he was raised as a proper man in order to be influential as he grew up.

"I would enjoy that. Do I get to know the location beforehand this time?"

"No."

He started walking towards the portrait and Hermione hopped up to follow him. Even though she had already eaten a sandwich the prospect of dinner with Malfoy allowed them to create a game plan. It would be easier to not walk into the place blind. Surely he had to have an idea of how these events work, even if he got it from his scrying.

"Do you have magical access in your room? Who am I kidding? You're one of the golden three, of course you do."

The two walk back to Hermione's rooms at an even faster pace than her travels to his. The halls are completely empty now as everyone has gathered in the Great Hall meaning the strange coupling wouldn't be the subject of gossip.

He patted his pants pocket and held out a packet, the one Hermione had gotten to love.

She grabbed some and listened carefully as he said the destination, making sure to pronounce it the same when it was her turn. They ended up in the back room of a shop that was clearly wizard run. The man behind the counter didn't even blink as the two oddly dressed companions walked through the store. When they came out on the street Hermione didn't recognize it. Draco took a sharp turn to the right and passed by a line outside of a fancy restaurant.

This whole place seemed to be of magic folk but that didn't surprise Hermione. She doubted Draco even knew the name of any muggle eateries.

"Reservation for Malfoy. I have a plus one."

The host waved them through, directing them through the sea of tables. The whole place seemed very fancy and Hermione was left wondering why she was invited. The pair weren't even that overdressed among this crowd. The host grabbed a chair from the side and placed it at a table, seating Hermione as Draco took his own. Hermione murmured thanks to the host who sent her a smile.

"Will you be having your usual?" he asked Draco.

"Yes, we'll take two."

The host hurried off to place the order while Draco got comfy.

"What exactly is the usual?" Hermione asked, honestly curious about what she'll be eating.

"Even I don't know. It's whatever the chef's special is today."

"Oh."

She fiddled with her thumbs, hands and eyes in her lap.

"I know I'll probably regret this but... what's wrong?"

She could hear the tiredness in his voice but answered anyway. "I hate walking in blind."

Draco scoffed. "Is that all? You could've just said so days ago. I could have told you that that's the most pointless reason to fear tonight. If I were you, I'd be more worried about who's going to be there."

Draco quieted as a waiter came by, offering to refill the two water glasses.

"So what do you want to know?"

Hermione thought it through. "Do you know who's going to be there?"

"Nobody who'd ever seen you directly, at least, not that I know of."

This helped relieve a lot of the pressure that was building up inside of Hermione. Her nerves cooled some as her biggest fear, being found out, had ice water poured on it. It was a miracle to hear that she wouldn't be in too much danger.

"How about activities?"

"Well, there will be dancing as you probably expected. For the most part it's socializing and waiting for the big reveal of who killed all those muggle families."

Draco's voice sounded strained, as if he didn't want to go anymore than she did.

The two stopped talking as their food was brought in by a waiter. It was a strange pasta dish that Hermione had never tried before. It tasted amazing though and she knew she'd have to figure out the name for it as well as the recipe. It was definitely one that would be good to try to make herself at some point.

The two professors made small talk about their progress in hunting down the escaped cons as they enjoyed their dinner. To Hermione it sucked that so many of them would be right there, ready to be arrested but that couldn't happen even if they wanted to. It would mean putting their lives at risk and possibly not even getting the name or face of the killer. It wasn't worth it to risk it.

* * *

"Here, put this on." Draco said, passing her one of the small black boxes he brought with him from Hogwarts.

They were standing outside of the old mansion that the party was being held in and Hermione couldn't help but be in awe. Judging by the bored expression on Draco's face, he had seen better, probably lived in better. Hermione's only memory of such a grand house was Malfoy Manor and even then it wasn't exactly a pleasant memory and very few details of the actual building were still in her brain.

Hermione opened the black box to find a delicate silver mask in it. Placing it on her face she turned to see Draco wearing a matching one. She's never admit it but she was secretly pleased that he had coordinated it so well.

As they walked along the path towards the house Hermione's stomach lurched and plummeted, making her feel sick. She knew she was just scared though. She wrapped her arm through Draco's and enjoyed the steady feeling he brought with him to this Masquerade. Being here alone was starting to seem unimaginable.

If Hermione thought the outside was beautiful than she was not prepared for the inside. The entrance had large, intricate paintings but she didn't get to look at them as the duo were ushered through the maze of halls and towards the ballroom.

It was a sickening sight inside. To think that so many people supported this horrible monster's actions. There were at least a hundred people here and some were still coming in. Hermione hugged Draco's arm tighter as they traversed through the crowds of people, making idle chitchat with some of the other guests. Eventually Draco dragged her out to the dance floor and Hermione was glad to be away from other people.

She felt safe dancing in his arms, as if she could forget why they were here and just relax for a moment.

"You don't dance half bad for a muggleborn." Draco said, smirking down at her.

"And I guess that your rich and spoiled life included dance lessons?" Hermione countered.

"Ouch, that actually hurt me feelings. This is all natural." he leaned in closer so that his lips were just brushing her ear. "Do you see anyone who looks suspicious yet? I haven't seen too much out of the ordinary considering the whole point of this."

Hermione felt an embarrassed blush flood her cheeks as she realized they'd been dancing around the room for a reason.

"No, unfortunately I haven't. Are we even sure that he's going to show up?"

"Well, he better. If not then we'll have done all of this for nothing."

The two finished the song and exited the dance floor. They mingled among some of the other guests before retiring to a table in the far back corner. Hermione was careful to sit close to Draco as well as smiling and laughing at proper intervals. They were supposed to be excited to come and worship this murderer after all. They still watched the room, looking for anyone who seemed out of place or being congratulated.

Nobody made an impression.

Nobody until a man took as seat across from the strange coupling.

"Hello." he said.

Hermione watched as Draco's eyes flew over to the newest addition. He stiffened next to her and Hermione turned to face the company. The voice tipped her off but the hair gave it away. So much like the man beside her in both hair color and facial structure.

Sitting in the seat was Lucius Malfoy.

Hermione avoided sucking in a breath as he looked suspiciously at Draco. He couldn't recognize him, could he?

She watched carefully as Draco gave out some fake names, introducing the newly weds. She fought off an angry blush as Lucius turned his attention to her and complimented her appearance. She felt Draco grab her hand under the table and gripped it tightly, knowing it was for his benefit as much as it was for hers. The three had a short conversation about the festivities before Lucius excused himself.

"I need to go and get ready for the main event. It was a pleasure to meet you both."

He was gone but the man beside her was still tense. Hermione turned to him with a look of worry.

"Hey, it's okay. He didn't recognize him. We're safe." but Hermione wasn't even convinced herself. The way he looked at Draco was unsettling.

Draco looked at her before relaxing slightly. "It's not that. It's that he was so close and I couldn't arrest him. It sucks not being able to do our job, doesn't it?"

She didn't answer. Instead she directed her attention to the stage where the band had been playing as a man walked on. Grabbing a mic her cleared his throat loudly, grabbing the attention of everybody in the room.

"Ladies and gentleman. As you all know, we're here to celebrate a man who rose from the ashes and continues the fight our people have died for! He continues showing the muggles just who is superior. Tonight we're gathered to thank this man for his success. So thank you to Lucius Malfoy!"

The crowds cheering muffled Draco's hiss and Hermione's soba s she covered her mouth with her hand. Sure enough, the elder Malfoy strode onto the stage as if proud of what he's done. Hermione felt Draco start to shake. She wrapped her arms around him, trying to get him to stop before they drew attention to themselves. His anger was beyond himself though and it didn't stop, only lessened.

"Thank you! Thank you all! I'm merely doing what I have to, the work of Merlin. I couldn't do it without all of the help and support you do for me though." at this the crowd's cheering got louder. Then Lucius looked at their table, a smirk crossing his face. "Most of all I'd like to thank my son who will always be there for me."

Draco growled as Hermione stiffened. The roaring of the crowd as he continued his speech was loud, overpowering.

"Let's get out of here." Hermione offered.

Draco barely nodded and with a crack the two left the party.

* * *

AAHHH! I'm sorry it's late. I got distracted with Warlords of Draenor and just couldn't focus enough to write. Here's the longest chapter yet to make up for it though. I hope you all enjoy it! Remember to leave a review..

~Aerivia


	17. His Battle

Her Lucky Break

His Battle

"Fuck!"

That was the first thing Hermione heard when the two arrived back at Hogwarts. The second was the sound of a vase smashing into the wall. Needless to say she didn't exactly feel safe but she had no idea how to calm the young man in front of her. His hatred and disappointment was rolling off of him in waves and not slowing down.

She's not sure that he'd ever get over it.

His own father is going around killing halfbloods because their blood isn't as pure as it should be. She couldn't imagine how it feels to be Draco right now. To be raised to believe he is superior just because of the blood that runs through his veins. To have all of those ideals ripped away from him after the war and be reformed to see them as the same people. As one unit and not as classifications. Now to hear that his father is still stuck in the past and worst of all, killing people who didn't even know what their crimes were.

Hermione couldn't be sure just what was running through his head but whatever it was, if anything at all, was certainly not good for his health or hers.

"Draco... please."

He paused for a second before kicking a chair over and continuing on his rampage.

"Draco!" she tried again. "Stop this! This isn't who you are!"

This made him turn to her. His voice was quiet but it wasn't his usual smoothness. Instead it was rough, choked with the emotions that he could no longer contain.

"Oh really? And how in Merlin's name would you know that? I don't think you get. I'm his son. I have his blood running through my veins. The blood of a murderer and the blood someone who used to be as elite as they came. I have his ideals running through my heart every day, reminding me of who I'm supposed to be even though the logic in my brain says otherwise. I'm no different than him, Granger. I'm like his shadow and nothing can change that. You think a few nice conversations with you would change that?"

The sarcasm in the question stung, making Hermione almost regret saying anything at all.

"Draco, that's not you. You're someone who-"

"Again with this painting me in a positive light. You really aren't the brightest witch of your age. You do remember how you slapped quite hardly across the cheek just two months ago, don't you? Didn't you believe me to be a horrible person then?"

She watched as Draco picked up a delicate tea cup. He just held it, examining the fine craftsmanship that the piece had.

"I don't know why you can't accept the truth." she said in a small voice.

Draco's attention diverted back to her.

"Love, I think you have that backwards. You see, I don't think you realise just how fucked up my family is right now do you?"

"No, I don't. And why not? Because you refuse to explain anything to me! It's just placing the blame on yourself again and again and again. When are you going to learn that not everything is your fault? That not everything revolves around you?" Her voice rose with every word she said until she was yelling at the blond in front of her.

He reverted his attention back to the small cup before replying.

"He killed her. My father slaughtered my mother in cold blood just because she was sleeping with a muggle man and managed to get knocked up. And do you want to know how I felt about that? I thought it seemed like an almost fitting punishment. She had disgraced the Malfoy family name in what's the worst way possible."

Hermione listened, entranced by his sick words. She knew it was wrong for him to feel pride over his mother's death, especially after he cried about her endlessly. She was also surprised at how quickly he put two and two together involving his mother, father, and the mark on her stomach.

Draco gave a deep and humourless laugh before continuing.

"See, despite my love for my mother it has been carved into my brain that she's a disgrace. That she didn't deserve to have any of our fame or fortune. That she didn't even deserve to bear the family name as she had been a lying, cheating whore. I didn't even have to be told that. I came to that conclusion on my own as my father talked to the crowd about how proud he was of his accomplishments. All it took was him saying those actions were okay and I fell right into his words and believed it to be true even though I don't want to."

Hermione stood up slowly carefully watching his movements to make sure she wouldn't startle or upset the young man again. It was all in vain though as when she moved to wrap her arms around him, on of the only ways she knew she could do that would provide comfort, he pushed her way. Violently. Draco had practically ripped her arms off as he shoved her back, even moving back himself as she stumbled to put even more distance between them.

"Just stay away from me!"

"But Draco-"

"Just go!"

Her cheeks stung from the embarrassment of rejection as she looked at the man before her. The tired, defeated look on his face and slumped, shaking shoulders as he crumpled into a ball against the wall was all she needed to see. Hermione knew that there was no way she could possibly help him. She was currently back to being one of the most hated people in his eyes and it was all because of her blood.

No, that wasn't right.

It was all because of his father. Lucius Malfoy had brainwashed the boy into thinking like him against his own morals and choices. It wasn't fair in any way. To have the self control taken away from someone who barely had a shred of it to cling to made the elder Malfoy no better than a monster who wanted to watch the world burn.

Draco was right about one thing though. She didn't know anything. She didn't have a clue what his beliefs are without the influence of his father. Hermione didn't know what he liked to do for fun, or what kind of music he liked to listen to, books he liked to read, who he looked up to in his life. She didn't know his opinions on politics or his thoughts about blood status. Even though they spent a large chunk of time together he had never really told her a thing about himself. It was almost as if he was ashamed of who he is even though he seemed perfectly respectable to her before their current predicament.

Hermione carefully left the room, making sure to not make a sound. She didn't know what convinced her to look back at him as she stood in the door way but at that moment she saw the kind side of him shine through. He carefully sat the tea cup down beside. Not a crack or scratch to be found on the perfect porcelain surface. She couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto her face.

Draco Malfoy truly is a mystery to her, even to himself. It's a battle that only he can fight though and fight he will.

* * *

Hermione groaned when she woke up the next morning. She had spent the night talking to Professor McGonagall about the night's events. It was relieving to have someone else know the identity of their criminal, even if it wouldn't do too much for them. Professor McGonagall had given her advice for the Draco situation as well. 'Let him be'. It didn't really help her since she wanted to be right there with him and help him along. She wanted to prove to him that his father's control over him is something that he can overcome if he wants to and that he doesn't have to do it alone.

That wasn't going to happen though.

Instead he would sit there suffering in the library while Hermione tried to get some sleep. McGonagall had said that she would take care of the Ministry. She should have already left to go and discuss the information with the heads.

Hermione just wanted him to be caught so her life could finally return to normal. Was that really too much to ask for? Already she knew that taking a year off was sounding amazing.

She almost cracked a smile as she thought about how many DADA teachers they had over the years. Would Transfiguration become the new 'cursed' position? It's not as if she didn't have plans to return. It's just that after a busy year like this, even a few extra months off is all she'd need to bounce back as a happier person.

More work was actually the last thing on her mind for once. However, she had a class to teach today.

Still she rolled herself out of bed and hoped into the shower. She enjoyed the blissful feeling of the water against her skin and was disappointed when she needed to get out. She didn't bother going down to breakfast, instead opting to grab an apple that had been conveniently left in a fruit bowl that the house elves must of brought her.

Her classes were a blur of starting a new unit and finishing up marking tests. It turned out that McGonagall had been quite pen happy and had marked a large stack of the papers. Her other classes seemed to be doing a lot better than her first group. She shuddered to think of it. All of the blank spaces... was this what tests looked like to teachers when she was a student?

Seriously though, if you at least write something down you have the possibility of getting it right!

She was relieved however by the low amount of fails so at least they were learning something. Some tests seemed familiar in their answers to how Harry or Ron would do it. Others were printed neatly and answered with confidence, reminding herself of how she would write a test. It was odd to notice all of the different learning styles. She'd have to try a few new teaching styles and see if that helped her classes' understanding at all.

By the time dinner rolled around Hermione was feeling much better. Today hadn't turned out quite as bad as it could have been. Her tiredness stopped and she was able to face the day like any other despite the horrific night she had.

When she arrived at the table she was surprised to find only Neville there. She concluded that she must be earlier than usual and took her seat beside him.

"So, how is your day?" he asked after she got comfortable.

"Oh, tiresome but that's mostly due to yesterday."

"Yeah, I can imagine. I heard that you were sick enough to go to St Mungo's. Is that true?"

Hermione felt her stomach drop as she remembered where she really was yesterday. The thought that Lucius Malfoy could be out there right now killing another innocent muggle family was sickening. She guessed that the story about her absence really was fitting.

"Yeah, Draco and I caught the same bug I guess. I heard that he was feeling pretty out of it too and had dinner delivered to his rooms."

"It was weird having two empty seats at the table." Neville said thoughtfully. "I mostly just hope to get this dinner over with. I need to write a letter to Luna."

"Oh, you two still keep in touch?"

"I would hope we would since we're dating."

"Oh. OH." Hermione said blushing slightly, "I guess I haven't been all that observant."

Neville just laughed. "Don't worry about it. After all, it's not like I mentioned it, not really at least. Besides, you look like you've been extremely busy lately. I couldn't blame you even if I wanted too."

The two smiled at each other and resumed talking as if there was never a time in which Hermione neglected to pay attention to her friends. She hadn't really realised it, but she'd spent all of her time as of late focused on this case. She spent it all with Draco trying to solve it. Sure she did some Christmas shopping with Ginny and had a small conversation with Blaise but that was about the extent of her human interaction. Hermione wondered if maybe they felt lonely without her.

Maybe this would be her struggle. Trying to balance all of her different aspects of her life. Whether it be her friends, her teachings, or her extra-curricular activities she'd have to find a way that she can manage them all and leave time for other things.

So while Draco has to fight what's morally good and morally wrong inside of himself she would need to fight to manage her life better.

It's odd how a friend's troubles can cause someone to look at their own situation and work to correct it.

It wasn't until the room was full and McGonagall was calling the feast to start that she noticed the two empty seats beside hers. Neither Blaise nor Draco had joined them for dinner.

"Where do you think they could be?" Neville asked, following her gaze.

"Oh, Draco is probably still not feeling well. Maybe Blaise is with him or sick himself, they do hang out together."

Hermione didn't even know if that last statement were true. Did Draco and Blaise really hang out together? As far as she knew, Draco spent all of his time working towards solving the case as well. After all, it had just gotten personal.

"Yeah, you're probably right. You always are, Hermione."

* * *

Hermione's screams were ear shattering when she woke that night. A thin sheen of sweat was coating her entire body and her stomach churned in the most unpleasant of ways. She clawed at the sheets, trying to remove them as fast as she could. They felt suffocating, as if they were trying to drown her. Her head spun as she stood up too fast, racing to the bathroom.

As she finished, the taste of vomit was prominent in her mouth. She had to of brushed her teeth three times and swished mouth wash twice. When all she could taste was minty freshness she hopped into the shower.

The water was too hot but Hermione didn't care. She scrubbed herself red. First removing the layer of sweat that left her sticky and then a layer of skin as she tried to wash away her nightmare.

She didn't know why she didn't have it last night. Maybe her brain was still processing the night's events and wasn't ready to torment her with it yet. Or maybe she was too tired to produce a dream. Either way, she had thought that maybe she had gotten off lucky. That she wouldn't have to live in fear of him in her subconscious. Boy was she ever wrong.

Hermione got out of the shower and threw on the first articles of clothing she could find. She didn't care if they matched or fit right. All she wanted was out of her rooms.

That's what she did. She walked straight to the astronomy tower, the one place she could see everything and yet see nothing in the darkness of the night. It was oddly poetic, knowing that everything was available to her sight but the different shades of black just mixed to form blobs where she knew things should be. There was Hagrid's hut somewhere along the hills and to her right she should be seeing the black lake but it was all invisible to her.

"So why are you out? Didn't want to disrupt my duty again?"

Hermione didn't even turn to see the voice, knowing exactly who it was.

"Hey, Blaise."

"You wouldn't know why Draco has made a show of locking himself into his rooms and claiming he's 'ill' do you?"

This time Hermione turned to face him but found that he wasn't even looking at her. Instead he was looking into the growing darkness like she had been.

"Honestly? Yeah, I guess I do know. Should I tell you? I think that's something for him to share, not me."

"Oh."

Hermione couldn't help but hear the drop in his voice. They must've been pretty close for Blaise to be so put out of it. He must be really worried for Draco. Then again, it's not like Hermione was feeling much different. She just wanted him to realise that his life isn't run by his father.

"Still listening to the Beatles?"

Hermione cracked a smile. "But of course."

"Any chance I could change you over to a different band?"

Now she laughed and so did he. It was nice to find someone lighthearted that she could talk to and not worry about anything. With Blaise the ordeal surrounding everything else in her life sort of disappeared. It was comforting.

"I just wish he'd open up to me, you know?"

They both knew exactly who she was talking about. "Yeah, I know. I think the only reason he shares anything with me is because we've known each other for a long time. It's a bit easier for him to talk to me since I've been there through everything."

"I just want to help him through this."

"I know."

* * *

Guys, I'm so sorry. I didn't have access to a computer last night and when I finally did I just fell asleep. So, I'm sorry it's late. I literally woke up. edited it, then posted it. I hope you enjoy it.

And omg putting my baby through so much emotional pain!

~Aerivia


	18. An Empty Box

Her Lucky Break

An Empty Box

It had been two weeks since Hermione and Draco had been to the 'party' and returned only to fight with each other. Blaise had comforted Hermione and eventually Draco must have told him what happened as he stopped asking her. They hadn't worked together since that night or even talked. Instead Hermione found other ways to keep herself busy. She marked some tests and some projects and found herself once again reading fiction.

It almost felt odd. Ever since she came to Hogwarts she had always picked up a non-fiction book, working towards learning everything possible regarding the wizarding world. After the war though, she decided that she didn't need to know everything. She was fine with looking up new information only as she needed it. It was easy to just sit back and relax without worrying about what was going to happen next. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to think like that in a while. Instead she could only watch as the world was still recovering from the prejudices.

Lucius destroying lives for no reason other than it upsetting what he believed to be the 'normal' when really people should be allowed to be with whoever they want. Blood should not have a say. Muggleborns are not different than Purebloods as far as their right to be a wizard.

Instead of relaxing with a book she'd been racing around trying to stop him from committing the horrendous acts. All she got from it was an emotional roller coaster known as Draco Malfoy, the need to vomit whenever a new murder was made public, and a whole lot of stress. Even now, when they were inadvertently taking a break from hunting down the criminal, whose name had been spread across the country in under forty eight hours after his unmasking, she still couldn't take a break and relax. Sure she could read but it wasn't unsettling her nerves. Instead she sat here impatient. Lucius was so close to being caught but they just couldn't find him. There was nothing to do but wait for word of his whereabouts but by that point he could kill countless of innocent people.

None of it was fair at all.

It didn't help that Draco wanted nothing to do with her or the case and instead kept himself locked away in his rooms. He'd been acting as a coward about his father and his own morals. He wouldn't talk about his problems with anyone. Hermione just couldn't take the silence from him. Even in her mind he refused to leave and just sat there moping.

Hermione sighed as she put the book back down. She couldn't focus on it to save her life so there was no point in reading it. She'd already reread the same paragraph five times and still hadn't the slightest clue of what it said. She felt a chill settle in the room as she stretched, suddenly realizing just how warm her curled up position had kept her. It may of provided warmth but her muscles were all cramped now. She cast a quick spell to light the fire place and just sat there, watching the flames flicker.

She was startled by the knock on the door.

"Hello?" Blaise's voice called through the portrait. She had grown familiar with the man.

She shot up, tripping over her two front feet as she raced to open the door. She caught herself just as she reached it.

"Come in." she said waving her hand as an invitation. Only then did she look in and notice that even though it was midday her rooms were dark besides a small lamp and the now burning fire. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Just water would be nice."

She did just that, opening curtains that hid enchanted windows to let in some more light as she went. When she placed the water in front of Blaise she sat down, her eyes dropping to her hands.

"Was there something you wanted?" she asked in a quiet voice, not even sure if he had heard her.

Blaise took a sip of water. "I was just wondering if you were okay. You seem almost as out of it as he does."

She gave a small laugh.

"Alright, I guess that's stretching it. Nobody can sulk like he can. But seriously, how are you holding up? All of this must be a shock for you."

"I just want it to end, you know? There's so much going on and I just want it to go back to the small quiet we had just after the war ended. I always thought it would last longer than a few months. I figured that we would all just stick together and promote peace for a while. I didn't think it would end so quickly."

"Well, I'm proud it lasted as long as it did." said Blaise thoughtfully. "I mean, we still have so many people who agreed with what Voldemort did but as they didn't actually do anything they get to walk free among us. They're going to keep fighting for the pureblood superiority just because it's the only thing they know. It takes a lot to change how one thinks. Look at Draco and how much he's struggling. There are so many people in the same boat right now that I'm surprised that we didn't find trouble until now."

"You're really smart, you know that?"

Hermione watched as Blaise blushed.

"I do know how many are still in touch with the old ways. At that masquerade ball, there were hundreds of people. It was sickening to know how many people supported what that... that monster had done."

Blaise just sipped on his water and watched the flames of the fire flicker. Being honest with himself meant that the number was predictable. He'd expect nothing less. He couldn't help but hope that it was an overstatement though. To think that so many people would condone those innocents to death made him want to be sick. And his parents. Those fools blindly followed in the footsteps of Voldemort. That's where he was lucky and Draco was not. Blaise got to get out. He got to live with his grandparents, people who didn't believe in the pureblood elitism even though they were purebloods. While they never took a side in the war they had not lead him down the wrong path like his parents would have.

No, Draco didn't get to be so lucky. Instead he was raised by a pair of puppets and left to believe that those views were the right views and everyone else was wrong. It was a miracle that he even played spy for the 'good' side.

Hermione was thinking much the same thoughts but thinking more about what was really good and bad. It was all based on the perception of the person.

"Blaise?"

"Hmm?"

"How would you like to go shopping with me?"

* * *

There had been no intention of this shopping trip. It was a spur of the moment thing that Hermione wanted to do just to leave the castle. She wanted nothing more than to get out and do something productive today even if she wouldn't find something worth buying. The very first store she dragged Blaise into was one that she found the perfect necklace for Ginny in. Luckily for her they still had it. Hermione bought it and had it wrapped as she'd never been able to do it herself. It always ended up a crinkly mess.

Next the wandered around, mostly window shopping but occasionally darting into another store. Blaise ended up buying a mountain of candy while Hermione settled on some licorice wands. The two even stopped by the Three Broomsticks and had a butterbeer each. Overall the two were having fun.

When they passed a rundown little shop with a lot of small wooden bobbles in the window Hermione stopped. Everything looked so intricate. There was a tiny figurine of a wooden ballerina. There wasn't even anything magical about her. She didn't move or anything, it was as if it belonged in the muggle world. There were similar pieces put on display. There was a book that appeared to have blank pages but the cover had been carved with precision. A cane could also be seen. Vines wove their way around it and came together at the top with a delicate rose.

The pieces were beautiful and whoever had made them had spent a lot of time and effort on them.

"Let's go in here." said Hermione, already walking to the door. All of the care that was obviously put into the small wooden items intrigued her.

A small bell chimed when she pushed the door open. Inside it was dark despite the uncovered windows. There was just enough light to see the objects and all of their details. Hermione walked slowly up the aisles, aware of Blaise following her by his shuffling feet. When she reached the far wall a wooden box caught her eye.

It was made of a dark wood, looking black in the dimly lit room. On the top there was a dragon carved, covering much of the surface. It's tail extended over one side and wrapped around across the bottom of the front where it reached the edge and stopped.

As she extended a hand to reach it she heard a voice next to her ear.

"Ahh, I remember that one." Hermione and Blaise both jumped as the newest person made their presence known. Hermione dropped her hand as if she were a child purposely touching something her parents' had said not to. "A young man came in here asking for it to be custom made but never came by to pick it up. He just went poof. Gone. Poor fellow, he was really specific about the details too. Mind you it was twenty years ago. Maybe he just decided he didn't want it anymore."

Hermione and Blaise looked at each other as the man continued to babble. Blaise twirled his finger near his temple and mouthed 'crazy geezer' which caused Hermione to cough as she fought against laughter. This caused the old man to revert his attention back to the two young professors.

"Ah yes, how silly of me. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Christopher Crillick but everyone just calls me Crazy C. Are you two students?"

"Oh no, we're-" Hermione began.

"Honeymooners?"

Hermione felt herself blush and Blaise shift uncomfortably behind her.

"No." she said, "We're professors at Hogwarts."

"Really? You seem much too young. I remember when they used to have nobody younger than forty. It was a grand time indeed, this town was booming with all the traffic. Ah, yes, that was a good year to be carving wood too. You see, there was so many trees ripe for the picking. Now a days you can't find certain woods. There was none of that back then."

Hermione slowly backed away, Blaise doing that same. It wasn't that the old man, sorry, Crazy C wasn't a friendly fellow... he was just... crazy, or so it seemed.

"Where are you going? Didn't you two young lovers want to buy this box?" he said grabbing the box Hermione had been looking at off of the shelf.

"We're not 'young lovers' and we were just looking.'' said Hermione patiently.

"So you're not interested?"

Hermione looked at the box once more. "May I see the inside?"

Crazy C offered the box and Hermione took it. The finish was smooth and the dragon looked even more beautiful up close. When her fingers touched the lid the tail moved, curling up and around the dragon's body. As she carefully opened the lid she saw that it inside was lined with a silver fabric. She didn't recognize it. It was soft like velvet and smooth like silk.

"The box will only open for it's owner or owners once it's been assigned to one. The young lad who I made it for wanted to give it to his fiancee. Since he never picked it up, it's ownership was never made finalized. All you have to do is whisper the name of who will own it to the keeper, in this case the dragon."

"Wow, that's actually pretty cool there Crazy." said Blaise, actually surprised at the attention Crazy C had paid to the piece.

"Well, I always put my hardest work into a piece and this was no exception."

Hermione shut the lid of the box and watched as the tail unfurled and curled around the box once more. "How much?"

"It's yours. I have a pick up in two years after finishing policy that wasn't followed. Poor man spent all that money on this piece to have it made and never came back. It's been collecting dust for years and I'd rather see it gone and give it to a nice young lady like yourself."

"Thank you." she said, giving Crazy C a big smile.

"Now get out of here. It's past my bedtime."

The two thanked the man again and left, Hermione carefully cradling the box in her arms.

Blaise and Hermione continued shopping. Hermione grabbed a few new books to read for herself, as well as one on sunlight and it's effects on select plants for Neville. She even grabbed a plain black jumper for Blaise when he wasn't looking. Back at the castle when she was satisfied that her Christmas shopping was done turned to Blaise.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"You gave me an idea today."

"Really?" Blaise looked honestly confused.

"Yep, thanks again."

With that Hermione was gone, racing up the stairs to her rooms. She pulled out some wrapping paper she had bought when she tried to wrap Harry and Ron's gifts (Ron's wasn't too bad...) as well as some tape, scissors, parchment, ink, quills, and labels. She didn't know how but she was going to manage this. At least Ginny's would be nicely wrapped.

Blaise's turned out okay. It was soft since it was a sweater so it was hard to get crisp corners but she managed to finish wrapping it and in one try too. She wrote the label neatly before sticking it on.

Next was Neville's books. It took Hermione two tries to get nneat-ish corners. She knew that he'd like it either way so stuck a label onto it. She moved the two newly wrapped presents as well as Ginny's over to her small tree where she kept Harry and Ron's.

Now all that was left to wrap and make pretty was the small box that Hermione had gotten. She grabbed the box and set it on the floor in front of her, grabbing the roll of laid the paper on top of it to do some measuring and turned around to grab her scissors. Hermione had only turned away for a second before she noticed a burning smell. Whipping her head back around she saw a small circle burning away to reveal the head of the dragon before stopping and putting itself out.

"Oh no. You're not going to do this to me, are you?"

Hermione could have sworn that the small wooden design actually winked at her as if to tease her! How infuriating. Still, out of curiosity she tried again. Once more a small hole burned through the paper and exposed the head of the dragon.

"You have got to be kidding me." she sighed.

Giving up on trying to wrap the box she grabbed her parchment and ink.

Hermione didn't even have a clue as to why she felt the need to help him so much. It was like a burning desire to prove that he was wrong. That he's not the person he thinks he is, that he doesn't need to live in his father's footsteps. Draco is his own person and she would fight tooth and nail to help him realise it. It wasn't even about being right. No. It was about him being nice to her, proving that he could change even if it was unintentional. She wanted that version of him back.

_Draco,_

_I know that you don't want to open up to me. You don't want to talk about you and I'll respect that so long as you do something for me. Use this box._

_Write down your thoughts and feelings. Get them out there. You can't keep locking them up in yourself like you do now or you'll go crazy. You can't just be a black hole that sucks up his emotions and sends them off to nowhere. This box won't let anyone but you into it. Not even me. It's safer than your heart._

_Just, don't let yourself fall into oblivion, okay?_

_Merry Christmas,_

_Hermione_

She placed the letter into the box and whispered his name to seal the deal.

* * *

AHHHH!I posted on Friday! I'm really proud of myself but also of all of you. I passed 10k views and I was honestly so happy when I woke up to that. Thank you to everyone who has read the story thus far as it encourages me to keep writing since you guys are obviously showing an interest in it.

Now, to work on my like five assignments that need to be done this weekend... got some English questions and an essay, a project for Careers, Science homework and studying for a test, oh, and an instructable for Communication Tech, maybe I shouldn't procrastinate so much.

Now, what do people think about the magical little box? I have big plans for it. Maybe in my sequel I'm already planning.

Reviews? They make me happy!

~Aerivia


	19. Plans For More Shopping

Her Lucky Break

Plans For More Shopping

The air was a buzz of activity as the Holidays approached quickly. Students were rushing to hand in some of their late work so they could have a clean conscious and relax while others were arranging plans on where they would stay. Hermione was marking projects and handing them back faster than she had ever thought possible.

Over the weeks her and Draco had returned to working together, even though they didn't really talk as much as they had before. It was different. More difficult. Every night she would go home and find the little box sitting underneath her miniature tree. She had been tempted to give it to him early, anything to help lessen his still sour mood but decided that it would be better left until Christmas day. Hermione could only hope that she wouldn't grow to regret this decision.

After all, there was only a week left. Today they were officially sending students home. Only a handful were bothering to stay at school. Instead many of them were going to spend it with other families. The companionship that the students had was a miracle that brought a smile to Hermione's face every time she thought about it. To her it was a miracle that smiles had started reappearing with frequency.

After all, Lucius Malfoy had been keeping a low profile.

Not one more murder had been reported to the Ministry. Lucius Malfoy had completely dropped off the face of the Earth after his picture was spread across the country and it's neighbours. Hermione imagined that this was why Draco was constantly slipping into a snarky attitude. His father was still out there doing Merlin knows what, plotting against Merlin knows who. He was turning out to be a harder hunt than Voldemort had been.

That's where the two men were extremely different. Voldemort wanted the whole world to know of his power. He wanted them to bow down to him. He was very open about what he was doing and never really hid the information about where he was. Lucius was a coward who was following his mislead thoughts of murder. He wanted to keep it quiet. He was weaker and would not be able to do anything from inside Azkaban, where he was sure to return upon capture.

And so the coward had followed blindly in the fool's footsteps.

"Miss Granger?"

She looked up from the book that she hadn't really been paying attention to and saw Jasper standing over her desk. If she remembered right, the young boy was one of the few staying back. Something about his family getting caught up in another country. He didn't look worried by it though, his blue eyes shining bright and a smile gracing his face.

"Yes? Something you need?"

His smile fell a little and he fidgeted. "I was... I was just wondering if maybe you would take me shopping? I want to go to Hogsmeade and get a Christmas present for a few people."

Hermione looked at the little boy. Everything about him screamed innocence and she remembered a point in time when she would just flat out break the rules. Well, maybe not flat out. It usually took some persuasion from some not so great role models she had called best friends but she certainly didn't ask a teacher to help her pull of the scheme. Alright, maybe a couple of times... that wasn't the point though!

His blue eyes pleaded with Hermione and she couldn't stand looking into them any longer.

"It's not my call or I would take you. Instead I'll have to try and talk McGonagall into it. If she says yes, and that's a pretty big maybe, I'll take you out shopping. How's that?"

Jasper's grin grew big enough to put a jack-o-lantern to shame. "But there's a chance right?"

Hermione sighed, "Yes. I can't promise that we'll get to stay out for very long if we do go though."

"That's alright. I already have a few ideas of what I want to get them."

"Who are you going to shop for anyway?"

"It's a secret." he said.

Jasper's smile was infectious and soon she found herself giggling at the young boy. "You better go and say goodbye to all of your friends. They're leaving pretty soon."

"Okay! Don't forget to talk to Professor McGonagall please!"

With that the boy left the room. Hermione shook her head, still chuckling at her student. Turning back to her marking she kept herself occupied until it was too dark to see anything outside through the window. She stood up and stretched before shoving everything into her bag.

She had barely walked out the door before colliding into the very professor she was heading off to see.

"Professor McGonagall!"

"Yes? Is there something you needed?"

Hermione bit her lip nervously. "Actually, I wanted to get an exception."

"Exception for what?"

"Jasper, a first year, wants to do some Christmas shopping. Only problem is, he's under the age limit to leave even with parent permission."

"And you would like to take him into town yourself."

"Yes."

Professor McGonagall heaved a sigh while thinking it over. "I suppose it is possible. So long as you don't let him out of your sight of course. And provided that you can keep him under control and the whole expedition under wraps. After all, if one student gets to go, why can't the others?"

"Don't worry. You can count on me and Jasper wouldn't tell a soul if I ask him not to."

"Very well. You two can leave for a few hours two days from now. You just need to be back by sundown as students should be either at dinner or in their common rooms at that point in time."

"Thanks you so much!" said Hermione, starting to dash away.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I need to get ready to go to work."

It may of seemed odd to anybody else who heard the last sentence of the conversation but to Professor McGonagall it made perfect sense. She was going to work with Draco. It still amazed the older witch that the duo worked so well together. They were now up to two captured criminals and they put an name to the single most wanted wizard out there right now. They truly were miracle workers.

Hermione meanwhile was dashing around her rooms. She made herself something to eat and scarfed it down when it was still too hot, burning her throat. She cleaned up any mess she could find before hopping into a quick shower and slipping some comfortable clothes on.

She was out of her rooms and practically skipping down the hall towards the library. They were so close to catching another one of the escaped criminals and she was just exploding with excitement. Slowly but surely they were working towards bringing the world back to safety. Granted their biggest threat hadn't even given a hint of his location but the rest of them had been slowly making an appearance.

Being hot on their trail only made the thought of catching Lucius seem that much more realistic. Eventually they would do that but it may talk a while.

As she entered the library she noticed that their usual table by the window was empty besides a few maps and a water bottle. It looked exactly how they had left it the previous night. A small smile crept onto her lips as she realized that now that she knew about his secret he almost never worked without her. They were officially like a team and not just a forced pair.

It was relieving.

She sat down in her seat and peeked outside. She didn't even know why she did it, it had grown habitual. Even though she already knew she could see nothing but dark blobs her eyes still strained to see anything. It was almost relaxing to look out into nothing, to not have anything to focus on.

Her eyes trailed away from the night and down to the maps laying out across the table in front of her. So far they'd found a little area east of London that seemed to have some strange activity going on. As it turned out, a former Death Eater had been behind all the 'ghost' reports. All that was left was filling out the maps to make it look like they had tracked him.

Hermione was in the process of doing that when Draco joined her. A quick glance down at her watch told her it was eight o'clock exactly. Never once had he been early or late. Being punctual had to of been something that he prides himself on. After all, how many people wait until he perfect minute to make an entry.

He stole one of the other maps and started mapping out a route, occasionally tapping his wand to the mark on his forearm. She finishes her work quickly and watches him do his job. It always fascinated her. They way he looked so distant and paid so much attention to the details. The minute something new would happen he'd discard the old information and replace it. If it was a slight change in direction, even a few degrees, he'd erase his prior work and redraw the new path.

His professionalism reminded her so much of herself. Everything needed to be perfect and organized.

Once he sat back in his chair, obviously done for the night, she slid her map over the table to him.

"Finished already?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

Hermione nodded as he stood up, grabbing the map.

"Thanks. I'll go bring this to McGonagall."

"Okay. If you don't mind I'm just going to head to bed." said Hermione standing up as well.

Draco just nodded as he left her alone in the library. She rolled up the discarded maps and put their notes in a nice pile before leaving the room. The corridors seemed even emptier without all of the students. Curfew wasn't quite yet, they still had an hour left, but nobody was in sight. It gave the castle an almost eerie feeling.

The minute she stepped into her rooms the feeling left. It was warm as she had forgotten to put the fire out, not like the enchantments surrounding the fireplace would let the flames out anyway, and the soft glow of the fire gave the room a content feeling. She didn't even slip out of her sweater and jeans before collapsing into bed, too exhausted to care after such a long day.

* * *

She woke up earlier than usual. Without anything better to do she picked up the novel she had been trying to get through. It had yet to keep her interest and today was no different. Instead it just consumed her time until it was time to get ready and head down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Down there the barriers that separated the table just yesterday were gone. The Ravenclaw table was completely disbanded and the Slytherin only had a handful of different people who probably didn't want to sit at the noisy Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. No table had only one house sitting there though. It was a mixture of colours and it was something Hermione loved to see.

After all, what would unity be if you judged due to the colour of your tie?

She noticed Draco sit beside her, a scowl casting his face into one that made him unapproachable. Hermione didn't even bother trying to talk to him, neither did Blaise. Instead Neville and Hermione had a nice conversation about the fluffy flakes currently falling from the enchanted ceiling as the two men on her remained silent. She hadn't even been surprised by the lack of Professor McGonagall at the table. After all, when the post came the front page was the newest arrest.

Hermione excused herself early to go and finish up the rest of her marking in her classroom. She'd rather relax on her holidays.

She had barely sat down when Jasper came bounding into her room.

"You were waiting for me, weren't you?" Hermione asked suspiciously. The small smile on his face was all she needed to see that her accusation had been right.

"Did you talk to her?"

Hermione sighed and stood up. She walked around him before closing the door.

"Professor McGonagall said yes on a few conditions. One is that you don't ever leave my sight. I'm being held responsible for anything that happens to you but also anything that you do. Is that clear?" she waited for him to nod before continuing. "You also can't tell anyone. It's a one time exception for you only and if other students found out they'd want to go to and we can't have that."

"Yes ma'am." Jasper said. "When do we go?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, just after on o'clock. I expect to see you here on time so that we can leave and be back quickly."

She wasn't expecting Jasper to act in such a way that she was surprised when he launched himself at her, hugging her. She carefully hugged him back before holding him a bit more tightly.

"You were always my favourite in the Golden Trio."

With that he fled from the classroom leaving Hermione feeling both honestly confused but also happy. She sat back down, scribbling furiously over her students work making corrections and adding side notes. The sooner she got this done the sooner she'd get to learn about what happened last night. When everything was finally all done and graded it was nearly lunch. She hadn't really expected to be done so soon. Hermione knew that she wouldn't be able to talk to Draco until at least after dinner.

Instead she went for a walk around the grounds. She stopped by the greenhouse and asked Neville about his plants. She visited Hagrid and asked him how he's been doing and asked if he wrote to Harry recently. She even paused to chat with Ginny and a few other seventh years.

Eventually she found herself out at the black lake. Even though it's the middle of December the cold wasn't effecting her in the slightest. Instead it was almost comforting. To think that this time last year she was out helping the famous Harry Potter try and find the horcruxes. To think that only a year later she'd be working on disposing a new mass murderer and that it would be someone she not only knew, but that she'd be working with someone who was very close to the killer.

It's funny how fate will sometimes just turn around and laugh in your face.

It was as if they hadn't already suffered enough. Tears started falling down her face but she swiped them away before they could leave behind much of a trace. She couldn't help but think about all the people who had died in the war. They gave there lives so the rest of them could be happy. Safe. Yet here they were again, working to crush a new evil force. Surely not as evil as Voldemort himself but enough that the world was at unease again.

To think that it was all in vain.

Suddenly she couldn't stand looking at the perfectly reflective surface of the lake. Picking up a stone she tossed it. She wasn't even trying to skip it, just create a splash and ripples to disrupt it. It worked as most of her plans usually did but it was only a temporary fix. A band aid if you will.

What if this was the fate of the wizard world? To forever have problems? The lake always went back to being a perfectly flat mirror. Would traditions continue reverting back to their past forms? Would they always hate the muggleborns?

The possibility of it angered Hermione. She didn't let herself dwell on the fact though. Dinner was starting soon and she was expected to make an appearance as usual.

She was silent through dinner, reflecting on her thoughts. It wasn't until Draco tapped her on the leg that she was brought back to reality. He glanced pointedly at the door and the two young professors excused themselves at the table.

"Yes, Draco?"

"Something happened last night."

She noticed that the scowl had taken its spot on his face again. He obviously didn't like what he had to say. She nodded slightly for him to continue.

"The man we caught... As we caught him he said something. He said, and I quote, 'You'll never find Lucius. He will complete his duties and fulfill his desires and you're powerless against him.' The bastards are supporting him."

Hermione sucked in a breath. "Are you sure?"

"No, he may have been asking me to tea, I really don't know. Of course I'm sure you halfwit!"

Hermione blushed slightly at the comment. She certainly wasn't a halfwit. Instead of acting in the same manner as him she stuck to the subject at hand. "Do you think we could find him by using them?"

"No. They're more like mindless drones stuck in the old ways."

"Then it shouldn't matter. Let it go."

Draco glared at her, obviously not pleased with what she was suggesting.

"Or maybe not..."

"You know what Granger? I couldn't care less about you right now. I just want this all to end and you may think you're helping but really you're just getting in my way."

He stormed off before she could say anything to try and settle the argument. It wasn't the first they had since the ball but they were always a bit more muted. Draco hadn't been angry like this since their first fight, the one that destroyed them working together. This one felt like that and she couldn't help but feel pained. it wasn't right to see him going through so much without letting anyone else in.

She knew she'd probably regret making such a hasty decision but she had to. He was going to the library, there was no doubt about that. Hermione ran to her rooms as fast as she could, turning towards the small tree in the corner of her sitting room. She grabbed the box and carefully scrawled Draco's name onto a piece of paper. The dragon let her tuck it under his tail and off she went.

Hermione had no problem finding his room. She didn't even try to hide the box, leaving it out in the open. She imagined the dragon would keep anyone from taking it if need be. It would be hard for him to miss when he came back. With one last forlorn look at the door she turned around. The least she could do was get some sleep before taking Jasper into town tomorrow.

* * *

I just want everyone to know that there's only so many chapters left of this story and that there will be a sequel. I repeat, there WILL BE A SEQUEL. There's roughly 2 - 4 chapters left of this one ("OMG! What can she do in so little?") that will have a lot going on but the sequel will focus more on the Dramione and how they cope with this ending. I already like it even better and hope the rest of you will too.

~Aerivia


	20. The Appearance of a Monster

Her Lucky Break

The Appearance of a Monster

Hermione didn't sleep well that night. In fact, she probably would've been better off not sleeping at all. When she woke up her face was red and blotchy and her muscles ached. The dried tears made her face sticky and itchy, prodding her to get out of bed and wash them away. She knew why they were there too. The silver nightmare had morphed. The beautiful silver sky that she had grown to appreciate had changed into the flowing locks of a crazed man.

This time he was alone, no sidekick to help him carry out his awful deeds. He wasn't even trying to mark up her stomach. Instead he laughed at the scar on her forearm, one she normally kept covered after Bellatrix had engraved the word into her flesh. He made no move to kill her though, and that was what scared Hermione the most. Lucius Malfoy just laughed at her huddled form and called her words that shouldn't have affected her so. Worthless. Pathetic. Things she had heard countless times before yet they unravelled her.

Even though she was awake she still felt nearly painful wracks of terror coursing through her body. She hugged her bathrobe tightly around herself as she made her way to the bathroom. As she looked into the small mirror above the sink she nearly screamed. If her face wasn't flushed she'd fit right in with a crowd of banshees. Everything about her seemed dead, lifeless. Her eyes were flat, hair a mess, only the blood flowing to her cheeks proved that she still walked among the living. It proved that she hadn't died of fright in her sleep.

She turned the water on so it ran lukewarm from the taps. She didn't use it though, instead she chose to stand still, hunched over the sink as she clutched to it for support.

It wasn't fair that this man could haunt her dreams. It wasn't fair that the very thought of what he had done to accomplish his most recent bout of fame had been killing innocent people. Small children, husbands, wives, even little forms of life that hadn't been able to take a single breath yet. Beings who didn't know about the cruelty or the beauty the world had to offer. Children who didn't get to grow up and experience new things. One little girl had only been our years old. Her mother hadn't even begun to show signs that she was expecting yet. The lives of the family were torn away from them.

There was nothing Hermione could do to help them.

She was helpless against the man who thought that they deserved such a punishment. The only good she had done was save a few lives by sending the man into hiding. It didn't provide punishment to help the families who were already affected though. He was still out there and that just wasn't good enough for those whose lives are now forever different. Even as she stood here Lucius is gaining followers. People that she doesn't know the identity of. They could just as easily do his bidding for him and also get away from her.

She shut off the water. Cleaning her face wouldn't be enough. She needed to get the memory of the dream and all of her thoughts away from her. Hermione turned the shower on, putting it as hot as she could manage and stripped off her clothes. The hot water felt amazing as it practically carried her worries down the drain. Every time a water droplet hit her skin it woke her up even more. She scrubbed all of her nightmares away until she was left feeling like a new person.

At last she stepped out of the shower and immediately wished she hadn't. The December air had swept through the castle and left a chill everywhere it passed. Hermione's rooms were no different. She slipped back into her bathrobe and lit the fireplace, even casting a few warming charms around the room. She darted quickly into her bedroom to dress for the day before taking a seat on the couch by the fire.

Hermione hadn't even opened up her book before a tapping on the window told her she had an owl waiting. It was only then that she realized that she had missed breakfast.

She instantly recognized the owl as Harry's and was excited to read the letter, practically racing over to the window to let the small bird in. She gave it a few pats before taking the letter from him and grabbing a treat from the kitchen. The bird happily ate it as Hermione read the letter.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Please tell me that Ginny stayed at Hogwarts. I already got permission to stay at your room for a couple nights. I wanted to surprise Ginny, I even talked Ron into coming though he can't stay long, something about a big game coming up. I was thinking that we could celebrate Christmas at Hogwarts like a family._

_Besides, I had to promise McGonagall that I would come in during the new year and talk to some of the older students about being an auror in exchange for letting me come in. She wants them to start thinking about their futures I think._

_Anyway, write back soon, okay?_

_Miss you,_

_Harry_

Hermione smiled down at the piece of parchment. She knew Ginny was staying here for Christmas, she'd been the teacher who took down her name. Ginny didn't want to travel this year, instead opting to stay behind and work on her charms. Hermione could only imagine the look of joy on the younger girl's face when she finds out Harry will be visiting.

She wrote back to Harry telling him as much and asking when he was planning to make the trip down so she could get Ginny up to her rooms to visit. She even joked that she would kick them both out if all they did was make kissy faces at each other before sealing up and envelope and sending the letter back to Harry.

This time when Hermione sat down with her novel, she was able to concentrate on it and fully enjoy it uninterrupted.

* * *

Hermione read straight through until lunch, the novel finally managing to engross her. It was only when her stomach started rumbling too loud that the young witch finally got up to make herself something to eat and break herself out of her reading stupor. She made herself a plain grilled cheese and had a glass of pumpkin juice.

She would've sat back down and finished the novel but she had other plans with a certain student and reluctantly left the room. The corridors were freezing compared to her position near the fire and she was glad that she remembered to bring a thick jacket for the excursion. She wasn't at all surprised to find Jasper already waiting by her door.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Jasper held out a bag that clinked and nodded.

The two set off down the road leading to Hogsmeade. Jasper's eyes were wide open the entire way as if he was making sure to take in every detail. Hermione remembered how she was on her first trip. Granted she got to go with all of her friends and there wasn't the threat of a killer out on the loose. So far he hadn't done any killings in the wizarding world so there was no threat to anyone besides Monli and Narcissa.

Hermione's heart still ached at the thought of Narcissa and her lifeless body. The woman had been a puppet in the war and only fought to keep her son safe. Even though she had done some horrible things Hermione still thought of the older woman as honourable and there was nothing that could convince her otherwise.

When they duo could finally see the small village of Hogsmeade, Jasper couldn't control his excitement any longer. He started walking faster which forced Hermione to do so too. He peered into every window, making a few noises of satisfaction but didn't enter any of them. Instead he continued to look, not wasting a single minute.

Eventually he dragged her into the Honeydukes to buy a load of candy for a few school friends then promptly leaving the store.

"You know you'll have to lie and say it was sent in or you asked someone to get it for you, right?"

"I know."

Hermione noticed the smile on his lips but it wasn't one that said 'I'm going to tell them all anyway', instead it was one based solely on the happiness he felt to be out of the school. She couldn't help but smile right along with him.

Jasper ended up back peddling and bringing Hermione back to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. There he bought a writing set as well as extra parchment and ink but refused to tell Hermione who they were for, just saying that the person really needed it, they just didn't know it yet.

He even dragged her down to the slightly shadier part of town and got a book. He showed it to her briefly before stuffing it into a bag. She didn't even get a chance to look at the title.

"I think I'm all done." said Jasper as he peered into the bags.

"Are you sure? We still have some time before we need to go back."

"Yep. I got everyone on my list. I even got something for Professor McGonagall. I even got a flower that never wilts for my mum." His eyes fell to the snowy ground underneath his feet and his smile disappeared.

"Jasper..." Hermione began quietly. She had a bad feeling in her gut but she still asked anyway. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just get sad when I think about her. One day I woke up and she was just... gone. At first I thought she was just asleep but the hours passed. I was crying when I called for my grandma. She just hugged me and told me was in a better place."

Hermione placed a hand on Jasper's shoulder and he straightened up, wiping the frown from his face. He spotted a cart just down the street. A short, friendly woman was behind it.

"Warm hot chocolate! Get your warm hot chocolate here! Only one sickle!"

"Can we get some? Please?" asked Jasper, nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Hermione giggled, happy to see the smile and positive attitude put back into their places. Sometimes she wondered how that boy had ever been placed in Slytherin. Never once had she met one as lighthearted and nice as him. His innocence was almost overwhelming at times but it was a welcoming sight.

"Sure." Hermione said with a wide smile.

The two walked over to the short woman who was selling the hot chocolate. Hermione bought two of them and handded one over to the younge boy before making small talk with the woman.

"So, do you get many customers?"

"Not really. The kids from Hogwarts used to love buying from me but after last year... nobody really comes to see me."

"This hot chocolate is delicious." Jasper said, taking another swig.

The woman laughed, "I'm glad you think so. You can have a free refill if you'd like."

Hermione had never seen anyone chug back a drink so fast. Jasper took his time with his second one, choosing to taking small sips instead of large gulps.

"Thank you." he said politely.

"Well, I hope business picks back up once everything settles down. People are still a little 'iffy' over the events."

"I know. This who town went under. It only just started to flourish again before the students returned to Hogwarts. People feel like the world is going back to a better state. Sure Lucius Malfoy is out and about but nobody has heard or seen anything about him in these parts."

Hermione nodded before thanking the woman once more and starting to walk away. She sipped at her rapidly cooling hot chocolate. It seemed overly sweet but she welcomed the warmth it brought her as it travelled through her body.

As she finished the rest of it she noticed that something was else was off about it. The drink wasn't just overly sweet. It was too thick. She didn't think anything of it though and continued to walk beside Jasper as they left the town.

Her limbs started to grow tired but she blamed it on the cold and being up and moving for the past few hours. Hermione told Jasper so as he started to complain about his own tiredness. Even when her movements started to grow lethargic she didn't really blame anything. After all, they did have a very exciting day out, it was only natural to feel tired. She should not of heard a thump as Jasper collapsed into a snow bank though. That was not normal. Not in the slightest. She whirled around to see him laying there, unconscious. She started walking towards him before following suit, falling down in the middle of the road.

* * *

Back at the castle things were getting late. Draco had been sitting in the library all day with a sheet of parchment in front of him and a quill in his hand. He had wanted to use Hermione's gift to him, don't get him wrong, he just didn't know how. The box was sitting beside him, the dragon's beady little eyes seemingly following his every move. Still Draco sat there with nothing written down.

He had been surprised to say the least when he came back to his rooms and found the little box waiting there for him. He was even more surprised when the box opened for him at the slightest touch. However, the fact that Hermione had been the one to give him the gift didn't phase him in the slightest. It was to be expected of her to go out of her way and offer help to people who likely wouldn't accept it anyway. The thought made Draco smirk. It was just so her. That's why he had resolved to try and use the gift instead of just tossing it aside.

There was also the fact that when he told Blaise of the object the other man had just laughed and said that he already knew about it.

Draco had originally been planning to talk to Hermione about the gift but she had been absent all day. She didn't show for breakfast and he didn't see her in the halls or at the library. He guessed that she could have been hiding out in her room all day but the two had plans to work together starting after dinner. Normally she could already be found working ahead so she could show that she knew what she was doing and didn't need his help. Or at least that's what he presumed.

Either way, none of the youngest professors had any idea where she had run off to. Slowly the clock of his watch ticked away the minutes. Draco remained seated and looking out the window until quarter to five when he proceeded down to the Great Hall.

Outside the sun was setting over the snow-covered grounds, painting everything in a reddish orange. Inside the castle the shrill laughter of children sounded pleasant, almost like music. The Great Hall was full of joy and happiness as everyone shared jokes and had a generally good time. Christmas was rapidly coming around the corner and the excitement couldn't be contained. When Draco took his seat beside Blaise he noticed that even he wore a smile that refused to leave his face. Neville too.

However, when his eyes drifted over to Professor McGonagall he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. She was not smiling. Not even in that tight lipped way of hers. Instead she was looking forlornly at the empty seat at the head table. She frowned even deeper as she scanned the sea of students. After the food was served the Headmistress continued to send glances to Hermione's empty seat, the same worrying expression adorning her features. Draco looked around the room as well, watching the doorways like a hawk. The sinking feeling never left and he barely touched his dinner. He couldn't tell if there was anyone else absent from the dinner either with all the students mixed together. It was difficult to tell anyone apart except for Ginny Weasley with her bright orange hair.

He didn't think too much into it. After all, maybe Hermione had started working early and forgot about dinner. Maybe the Headmistress was getting all worked up for nothing. They were flawed arguments that even Draco couldn't believe himself. How was he supposed to? Hermione never overlooked the tiniest details and that included her schedule. She had yet to miss a single dinner this year. He doubted she was going to break that record by choice.

Still, it didn't stop him from all but running up the corridors towards the library the second that dinner had ended. She wasn't waiting for him there as usual, her nose already buried in the maps as she worked furiously to try and put all of the prisoners back into Azkaban. Instead the room had an almost forbidden feeling to it. Just as Draco was about to turn around and leave, hoping that if he banged on her door she'd open up, Professor McGonagall entered the room.

He had never seen her look so... 'wild'. Well, maybe once or twice during the war but he should never have to see that side of her again, or so he thought. All he could see were the lines of worry etched into her face and that only caused identical ones to make an appearance on his pale skin.

"What's wrong?"

Professor McGonagall took in a sharp breath. "Hermione Granger has yet to return to the castle."

"She left?"

"To bring an underage student into Hogsmeade. She was supposed to return for dinner."

"Maybe she's just late."

McGonagall shook her head as her lips curled into a grimace. "I don't think you fully understand the implications Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger set a deadline and she has never missed one before."

Draco felt his stomach plummet as if he had just walked off of a cliff. Or taken a step down stairs only to realise there wasn't another one there. It was a terrible sinking feeling that was only growing stronger with each second.

"Which student was it?" he asked in a sharp voice.

"Jasper Getain."

Draco swore under his breath and sat down, pawing through his pockets. Professor McGonagall placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to contact the Ministry about it if she's not back in an hour. I need you to stay put though, you can't get involved in this. It will only raise more questions."

"You think it was my father, don't you?"

She paused. "Yes, I do."

Draco knew that would be the answer but he still flinched anyway. To think that a single man could cause so much devastation. Sure Voldemort had taken many lives from innocents to the strongest members of the opposition but he had a whole army behind him. His father was a pathetic coward who worked alone and somehow managed to cause this much destruction to both the wizarding and muggle world. Not to mention what the whole ordeal had done to Draco's sanity.

As McGonagall left the room to go wait upon the other female's return, Draco had one thought. He was in no way going to sit here and do nothing as innocent people he knew were being prepared for slaughter.

* * *

_The dream focused on two things. One was a sound that kept morphing between two versions. It would start off as a light laugh before transitioning into a malicious cackle. She didn't see that the man who made the noise looked like, only what was in his pale and out stretched hand. His fingers were wrapped loosely around a small silver ring, nothing fancy about it. The hand offered it with every chuckle and denied it with every chortle. She could never accept or deny the ring. _

When Hermione came to, the first thing she noticed was the cold. It was seeping in through her body right down to the core and seemed to be coming from every direction except for her right calf. There was an odd warmth on that part of her body. The second thing she noticed was the darkness. She could make out nothing in the sea of blackness. At least at the castle she could make out rough outlines where things should be but in her current spot she couldn't even do that.

She sat up slowly, noticing that the surface beneath her felt smooth like stones. As she hugged her legs close to her chest she felt bare skin on her arms. Hermione had been stripped of her coat and wand before being thrown into the dark.

Rustling not far from her told her that she wasn't alone. She heard a soft moan of a boy before he said ow.

"Ms. Granger!" the voice whispered. It echoed through the dark, giving the impression that they were in a very large room. Hermione thought of all the possibilities of where they could be before the voice cut through the soundless room again. "Hermione!"

"Jasper? Is that you?" she asked in a nervous whisper. It sounded like a gun shot and she tried to be quieter. "Jasper, follow the sound of my voice, okay?"

She got a quiet yes back so she started a light hum to help him find her. When he did she hugged him close. His body was just as frozen as hers but she didn't care. Hermione held him tightly, just hoping that no matter what happens down in this hole that he would make it out okay.

The two stayed huddled there, trying desperately to stay warm while Hermione continued to hum the soft lullaby to Jasper. At the castle, Draco sat at his usual desk in the library, twiddling with a small silver ring.

* * *

Guys, I'm sorry! I've had this done for a while but couldn't post due to the internet not liking me and refusing to let me onto anything besides google and my email. I would've posted this Friday.

Now, for an update on this story, there's two chapters left! I repeat, **2 chapters left**! The sequel will be more delving into their relationship and how they deal with the ending to this one and it'll be beautiful. When I post the last chapter of this one I'll also post the first chapter of the next one. Updates will be the same, every Friday (if I can make it). After that I have a possible other story in mind that I'm currently beating the issues out of but I might decide not to do it.

Remember to review 3

~Aerivia


	21. A Few Unlucky Connections

**WARNING: FAIRLY GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND SOME STRONG LANGUAGE.**

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Her Lucky Break

A Few Rotten Connections

Hermione jolted awake once more. Jasper was still in her arms, his quiet snores were relieving in the otherwise silent room. It let her know that someone else was there, even if she did wish that he was in the land of safety back at Hogwarts. For now she would need to find a way out, a way to get them both out, hopefully, unscathed.

The odds did not look good to her.

She flashed back to how things had been over these last few months. She had gotten her dream job. Befriended a former enemy. Met interesting students that she had grown to care for as if they were siblings. She got to learn so much all while teaching others what she knew. It was an interesting way to spend her time, working hard to catch a new threat. It was like nothing had changed. Now she was stuck in a basement, holding a young boy, and wandless of course. That was just the cherry on top.

She felt Jasper move slightly, a quiet whimper emerging from his lips. Hermione instinctively held him closer, softly patting the top of his head a humming a lyric-less tune. She knew she had to find a way out of here but she couldn't see an exit. She couldn't see anything for that matter. Her heart picked up speed and became louder as she thought of the last time she had seen such a miserable place. It had been the dreadful day at Malfoy Manor with an evil witch holding her to the ground as she screamed. Her hand absently clutched the scar on her arm and she shuddered, moving away from Jasper.

She crawled away from him, arms waving out in front of her. When she finally touched a wall she stood up and walked along it before finding a corner. She carefully walked around the room, hugging the frozen stone wall. She counted every step down one wall and the connecting one. Assuming the room is rectangular, it would be thirty two steps by fifty three. Still hearing Jasper's snoring from the centre of the room she did the other two walls. The results were the same. During her adventures she found neither a window nor a door. Hermione's heart sunk a little deeper with ever inch she crossed, moving back to Jasper.

Hermione was positively chilled now, having stayed close to the walls for an extended period of time. She curled into a ball, her knees pulled so tightly to her chest she felt that she belonged in the circus as one of those performers that transformed themselves into a pretzel.

She didn't know how long she sat there but a loud sliding noise awoke Jasper. Accompanying the screech was a doorway of light. A shadowy figure was standing there and even though his face was not visible, Hermione knew exactly who it was.

Lucius Malfoy had finally made an appearance.

"You, boy. Come with me." he barked, pointing a gloved finger into the now faintly lit room.

Hermione watched as Jasper stood on shaking knees and she followed suit. Only she stood in front of him. She had promised to bring him back safe and sound to McGonagall after all.

"No." she said pointedly to the figure.

"Oh, isn't this grand? And who's going to stop me? You?" he asked in a laughing tone.

"Yes."

The laughter cut off and Lucius took a few steps into the room. "You can't. Or have you not realized yet? You're useless. You couldn't even detect a polyjuice potion being used. What kind of witch are you? And they all claimed you to be the brightest of your age. Lies I say."

"And so long as I'm standing, you won't lay a finger on Jasper."

Hermione could hear the defiance in her voice. Where she had expected it to fail her it came out stronger than if she was reading a well rehearsed speech. She glared at the man in front of her. Her outburst had even brought the silver haired man to silence. At least, before excitement took over him.

"Oh won't you be fun. Such a feisty little thing. Maybe I should start with you."

Lucius closed the distance between them and grabbed her arm roughly. She winced slightly but held back any noise that threatened to come through. Instead she chose to try and rip her arm out of his too tight grip. It just made him hold her tighter as Jasper hovered near her. She turned around to the boy and gave him a small smile before whispering in his ear.

When she was done, the silver haired man tugged her out of the room before roughly slamming the door shut. The hallway wasn't much different than the dark room that she had recently been occupying. Instead there were torches lining the walls although very few were actually lit. After going up a staircase the scene changed drastically. The rooms had a very warm feeling to them, kind of like the Burrow. Lucius made a face of distaste at the choice of decor but didn't say anything, continuing to pull Hermione through the house and out through the back door.

She had a brief moment of fear as she thought she saw another person but it was only a bush waving in the wind. Cold racked through her body worse than it had in the basement as it hit her without the barrier the walls created.

He opened the door to a shed and shoved Hermione in there forcefully. She stopped herself just before she hit the ground but it didn't help in the long run. The minute that the door clicked into place his hand hit her hard in the back, forcing her to her stomach on the ground of the shed. Lucius grabbed her shoulder and flipped her onto her back. She felt something sharp pressing into her right shoulder blade and tried to move off of it but found she couldn't.

As matter of fact, she couldn't move anything but her head. Her limbs had that lethargic feeling as they had before but now she had no control over her own muscles. It is as if the floor itself had glued her flat down. Her heart raced as she noticed where she had seen this scene before. A small bare room with moonlight streaming in from the small windows and the cold nipping at her exposed skin had been a familiar feeling over a month ago. It had came to her in a nightmare, the very one that had left her mind reeling as she found the connection between all of the victims. Then she was helpless to protect a child that she had been carrying, now she was just unable to move at all.

How was she supposed to be strong and find a way out of this situation for both her and Jasper while she is stuck sitting here and having to look at the very man who locked them up in this hell. The man in question was grinning maniacally down at her, his teeth glistening more than his hair in the poorly lit room. It was disturbing to say the least but Hermione didn't look away. She was placed in Gryffindor for a reason, she fought and survived a war for Merlin's sake. A war started by the darkest wizard the world had ever seen. There was no way she would back down from the monster in front of her, not even on her death bed would she shy away from him. To her, he should be no problem to take care of. So why was she so afraid of the man in front of her?

She sucked in a breath as he moved closer to her before pulling the sleeve of her shirt up and staring at the scar his sister-in-law had left behind on Hermione's skin.

"Ah, such a lovely mark. Maybe I should make one to match?" has asked. Hermione mutely shook her head. "No? Oh well, I can find something else to do."

He stood up and walked to a table near the door, looking for something.

"Why?"

Lucius turned around and looked at the girl on the floor. He gave her a quick look over from head to toe before responding.

"Why, what?"

"Why are you doing this? All those people were innocent. Their lives were not to be messed with."

"And who's to say that? They all deserved to die. They brought shame to the wizarding name. Those whores of women carrying around halfblood children. It was a disgrace. It had to be stopped. I was only doing the noble work of finishing them off as everyone else was too chicken."

"They were children!" Hermione exclaimed, outraged.

Lucius only laughed. "So? They were guilty by association."

"Those women did not ask to be raped! Nothing that happened to them was by choice. It's unfair to just assume that and take their lives!"

If Hermione could move she was sure she would be positively quivering from both anger and fear. The ferocity in his eyes told her that he should be feared. That he had gone off the deep end into the world of the feral. And she was scared. More so than she had been at any other point of her life. It wasn't for herself though. She was terrified because if she couldn't stay strong, what would happen to Jasper? However, anger was mostly prominent as Lucius showed no remorse for his actions.

"You know, I thought that after I killed Monli and all of his... 'friends' that I had gotten them all. I never knew he had a son. No, I only found that out when I heard his name mentioned by his uncle. Poor fellow was distraught over not being allowed to contact him. I quickly put the man out of his misery though, after all, what's life without your family?"

"Why don't you ask yourself that? You killed your own wife!"

"Why you little bitch." said Lucius, forgetting what he was doing at the table and storming towards Hermione. The sharp sound that resonated throughout the room went unnoticed by Hermione as she turned her marked cheek towards the cold ground in hopes to alleviate some of the stinging pain. "She is nothing to me. She shouldn't ever be associated with the Malfoy name. Deciding to keep a muggle lover in the nearby town, who does she think she is?"

He stood up again as Hermione fought off tears as she tried to will her arm to move. She just wanted to cradle her injured cheek, one that she was sure showed the exact outline of Lucius long, thin fingers. It was useless though, she couldn't move no matter how hard she tried. She listened to Lucius moving something around on the table before swearing quietly and moving back over to her.

"You know, even dressed up you're still filth."

She knew he was talking about the Masquerade ball. She had guess that he had recognized them. Lucius yanked her shirt up, revealing the soft skin of her stomach. The tears were still crowding her eyes although now they were there due to her nightmares coming true. Sure enough, he had grabbed an odd looking wand from atop the table. The worst part was where it was slowly lowering to.

The moment it touched her flesh, white hot pain erupted. It spread through her body quickly, licking it's way through her skin so it felt like it was boiling her blood. She couldn't hold back the screams that flowed from her mouth. Bellatrix had been nothing compared to the pain that was passing through her body in waves without a break. Her dreams had not had this intense of a pain. It was miserable.

It didn't stop when she withdrew from her body. It continued, slowly burning the pattern into her skin. She could feel it eating away at the soft layers until it left a raw version of the mark adorned on his arm.

"You may not be carrying a baby but you're no better than them. Protecting that child, associating and turning my own offspring into a delusional mess. You'll pay for all of it."

Her screams continued, growing in intensity as Lucius cast the cruciatous curse again and again on her already exhausted body. He laughed at her pathetic sounds. And as her throat grew raw she resorted to just making odd moans of pain. After that it didn't take him long to grow bored.

"Is that really all your body can take? A few curses and your done?" he yelled.

Hermione was blinded by the tears that fell down her cheeks but her sensitive body felt the kick delivered into her ribs. She let out a sob and attempted to clutch her side, suspicious that he had actually managed to break something. It was a futile effort though, as she already knew. She heard the door open and slam shut but she couldn't focus. The pain was still blinding as the curse didn't seem to be ending it's effects anytime soon. The skin burning away had finally left but the feeling that her blood was boiling in her body had not yet left and she found herself growing weary.

The intensity was slowly lowering when the door reopened. She was greeted by sobs and a harsh voice ordering the boy to shut up. She didn't need to open her eyes to know who was there but she still did anywhere. She wanted it to be anyone else but Jasper, a boy who had been so sweet to her after their initial meeting. He whimpered when she made eye contact with him and she wanted so badly to hug him, to protect him and say some comforting words but she knew that this wasn't going to end well. Not if she couldn't find a way out of here and nobody came to their rescue.

"Maybe this will motivate you to be more entertaining." said Lucius, grinning once more in Hermione's direction.

She couldn't block out the screams Jasper made as she lay their helpless, pleading for him to just let the boy go.

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Draco's breaths were coming in pants now. Wherever the lunatic had brought the two, it sure wasn't somewhere he could apparate to. That was the first thing he had tried. The ring's partner, one that currently rested on Jasper's finger, had a scrying spell on it. Originally it had been put in place so that Draco could monitor any activity he might have had with people such as his uncle. After he had turned up dead, the object lie mostly forgotten. Now it had a purpose though. Draco had originally seen the boy huddled in the basement as Hermione held him close but the next time he looked he found only Jasper and the boy was sobbing.

That's when he really started to run. His range of view from the ring was small, only allowing him to see that it had to be fairly large, even if that room Jasper was in was the whole basement. Most houses in Hogsmeade were on the smaller side so finding a large one shouldn't be hard. He didn't even know why he was searching in the town, something just told him that this is where he would find them and he wasn't going to ignore a gut feeling as they had yet to be wrong about this case.

He rounded a corner and stood stunned. That had to be it. The house was ginormous. It looked as if it had originally been built to be several townhouses but somebody must have bought it and decided to keep it as one large home. The fence extended uninterrupted around the property and there was only one door on the whole front of the house.

Draco hopped the fence and approached the building apprehensively. He peered in the windows but could see nothing. The curtains had been drawn and not a crack was left to leave even a hint of life inside. He tried the door, finding it locked and an 'alohomora' did nothing to solve the problem.

"Fuck."

Not only could Draco not get into the stupid building, it might not even be the right stupid building. He couldn't help but regret not telling McGonagall but he had to do this. He had to find the two bloody people that possibly cared about him at all in this world that looked at him distrustfully. He wasn't sure how he was going to do this all by himself but he would manage. He swore it to himself.

Draco crept along the wall of the house, making sure to keep close to the building in case any nosey neighbours happened to look out his way. He rounded the corner, still careful of not being discovered. He found no reason to stay hidden when the backyard was empty as well. A lone shed stood in the farthest left corner. The backyard was full of weird plants that he could never of even imagined. One shone bright pink when the moonlight hit it but was a normal green while the orb was hidden by cloud.

He was just starting to give up, believing this to be the wrong place as the back door opened. He sucked in a sharp breath as his father came through the opening pulling Jasper roughly behind him. He made short work of the distance between the house and the shed, not even bothering to look around. Instead, the elder Malfoy was busy trying to manage the squirming boy. Draco's heart dropped when he heard a scream come from the child's lips but he couldn't move. No, he was too focused on the man in front of him and watching with fascination. It was a sick fascination but it was not for the satisfaction of learning something new. No, this helped him come to the conclusion that his father was indeed a monster despite how often he looked out for Draco's well being. Anyone who could murder innocent people for no reason other than finding it to be an abomination didn't deserve the love of a son.

No, Draco would stop him, it was the only thing he could after everything the older man had done for him. Even though he had brought him a lot of trouble through his failures, Draco was not going to watch his father spiral further and further down the wrong path.

With his little pep talk to himself complete he drew his wand and moved carefully towards the wooden building occupying the backyard. He hesitated briefly but the thought of Jasper and how utterly terrified he looked. It was all it took for him to place his hand on the cold door knob and push it open.

The scene before him was enough to make him cry out a few choice cuss words. Unfortunately, it happened to bring Lucius' attention to him. As Draco looked over the small room he found Hermione lying on the ground, looking as if she was on the verge of collapsing. Her shirt was torn and her pants were bloody. Jasper had small cuts covering a large amount of his exposed skin. Both had puffy red eyes.

Lucius on the other hand looked like a wild animal. His hair was knotted and all in a matted mess. His robes were askew but he showed no signs of injury. Instead his eyes were bright with the excitement a child would have upon waking up Christmas day.

"Ah, my darling, traitorous boy has decided to join the party. Who do you want to take a shot at first. The girl over there is quite the screamer."

Draco held his wand tighter and felt his blood pumping through his veins at record speed as he thought of just what the two must have been through. He knew Hermione to be a strong willed person, one who never had the intention of backing done from a fight. To think that the man before him and reduced her to barely the shell of who he had grown to know was ridiculous.

"How about you?" he shot back at his father. He felt horrible after saying it, having never spoken to his father like that. It seemed to have just as large of an impact on Lucius.

"Why you insolent little- she did this to you, didn't she? That vile muggleborn girl. What makes her so much better than your family, Draco?"

There was no mistaking the venom in his voice. "It has nothing to do with her."

"Oh really? Than why are you on this defiant little rampage?"

"Because you're a monster. That's why. You kill people for no reason, people who had no reason to die."

"They did have a reason to die. They were blemishes in this world."

Draco fumed and pointed his wand even straighter at his father. "They were living, breathing human beings!"

"They were worthless."

"That little girl, Amelia Rose, she was worthless? She was barely four years old!"

"So? She's dead now. What are you going to do about it now?"

Draco could hear Jasper's quiet sobs behind him as he latched himself desperately to Draco's available hand. Despite feeling warm and sticky liquid from the open cuts on his hands, Draco held on just as tightly. He even rubbed comforting circles on the back of his hand, something his mother had done once before.

"I'm going to send you back to Azkaban, the very place you killed my mother. You deserve to rot there."

Lucius' face darkened. "Oh really? You're going to send me back there? And how are you going to manage that? I have no intentions of returning to that hell. Besides, your mother deserved to die. She's only lucky that she was so weak. I barely touched her before she keeled over."

"Don't talk about her like that!"

"And why not? She was a whore. She got what came to her. I only regret not knowing who the muggle was. After all, can you imagine all the fun I could have with him? It would be priceless to watch his face as I used magic to make him feel pain beyond his wildest nightmares. Actually, I think Miss Granger behind me has suffered the same fate. Poor thing." he said, taking a few steps and kneeling by her face. He pinched her face in two of his long fingers, making her face himself and then her son. Her eyes glared at Lucius but seemed to be asking something of the younger Malfoy when she looked at him but he couldn't tell what.

"Such a pity that they both need to die."

Lucius stood up once more, this time pointing his wand towards Hermione. Even though she was facing certain death, she was still not backing down from the man. Not showing an ounce of fear on the outside even though he knew she must be terrified, much as he felt himself.

"Don't. You don't have to do this." Draco pleaded with his father.

"It's the way the world should be. Nobody even loosely related to muggles should have a place in this world. All it would take is two simple words."

Draco stepped closer to his father, his wand now barely an inch from his neck. "I can't let you do that. I can't let you harm either one of them. They have more reason to be in this world than either of us do. They deserve to live and I will not let you kill them."

"Go ahead Draco, do it. You were too much of a coward to complete even the simple task Lord Voldemort had given you that night on the astronomy tower. No, you couldn't stop and old man you despised, how will you stop your father, the one who raised you?"

"You're not my father. Not anymore."

"Pity. I could have given you power in the world born only of pureblooded wizards."

Draco's face hardened as his father turned his wand against his own son. "Too bad you're too stubborn to actually see the truth. You can die here with this mudblood and Monli's own spawn."

Hermione barely had time to yell out, "No, Draco!" before the young man ripped his other arm away from Jasper. This sent the poor boy spiralling towards the ground where he lie with Hermione. Draco used his now available hand to grab onto his father's wand. The wand fell clattering to the ground as Lucius backed up. Draco matched him step for step until the elder Malfoy's back hit the wall.

"You wouldn't."

Draco barely whispered "Avada Kedavra," but his wand knew him well and cast the spell without any effort. He watched as the life left his father's eyes and he slumped to the ground right beside him, tears falling from his own eyes. He beat halfheartedly on the dead man's chest as he slumped defeated. He was barely aware of the fact that Hermione's arms had wrapped around his neck and that Jasper was sandwiched between the two. Draco didn't even notice Hermione whispering 'Thank you' again and again in his ear as she clung to him.

They had to have sat like that for an hour before any of them moved. Draco had cried himself to a state where all he wanted to do was sleep. His eyes were heavy and he knew that Hermione and Jasper had to have felt the same way, if not worse.

Even then, they only went as far as the road before the three of them apparated to Hogwarts.

After all, the would have some serious explaining to do regarding a dead body, two shortly missing peoples coming back with injuries, and a former death eater all having been lost for the evening.

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Alright, I'm sorry this didn't come out sooner and I moved this to the last chapter so instead of two, this is it. And the first chapter of **His Unlucky Life** is up! It pretty much picks up where this one left off and delves into the darker aftermath of this story.

And to clarify: Hermione is not weak nor incompetent in this chapter. I did not belittle her character. She's literally terrified and unable to do anything due to the curse placed upon her. Draco rescued her not because she was weak but because it was his fight against his father, not hers.

Thanks to everyone who stuck with this story and read it through til the end. Remember to go check out the sequel!


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